By Dr. Adenike Yesufu
Christmas is at hand, the period when money is on the mind of most people and the spirit of consumerism reigns supreme.  Of course, money is important.  The Bible has a realistic perspective about money.  Ecclesiastes 10:19 says, ‘money is the answer for everything’.

It is our time, our toil, our sweat, our food, our shelter, our clothing, our power, our agent of exchange and bargaining.
In the Christian world, people are fed with various positions and perspectives about money.

The prosperity theologians believe that wealth comes through godliness, the reward of religious piety, a sign of God’s blessing to those who are faithful to Him.  The implication is that those who are not rich do not have God’s favour.

Timothy 6:5 debunks that.  The poverty theologians believe that poverty is a virtue.  They quote Jesus as saying that it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.  They also say that Jesus was poor and so true followers should be poor.

Actually, the Bible says that Christ was rich, but for our sakes, He became poor that we might be made rich.  While on earth, Jesus knew about money and talked a lot about money.  He had a treasurer among His Twelve disciples who kept and managed the money.  Jesus spent money.  He even paid tax and gave Caesar his due.  In the Bible we know that God is not averse to our having money because God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His people.  God wants us to prosper even as our souls prosper.  God gives us the power and teaches our hands to make wealth.

What then is the problem with money?  It is how we acquire money and what we do with it that makes a difference to God.  He wants us to use money according to His principles.

The Bible highlights the negative aspects of money.  The love of money is the root of all evil.  Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and foolish and harmful lust, which drown men in destruction and perdition – 1 Timothy 6″9-10.

Those who hasten to be rich will not go unpunished.  We cannot serve God and mammon together.  The Bible condemns those who trust in their wealth: spiritual leaders who make money from their congregations, those who take money to slay an innocent person, and those who oppress, exploit and marginalize the poor to increase their riches.

We are reminded that the poor and the rich are made by God.  While the strength of the rich lies in their money, the poor have no voice because of their poverty.  The Bible gives responsibilities to the rich, asking them to show pity to the poor.  Jesus (the reason for the season) says that there will always be the poor in the land.  He urges people to be sensitive to the needs of these less fortunate and be open-handed towards them.

Sodom’s sin, was not only sexually-orientated: the people were arrogant and did not help the poor and the needy.  Thankfully there are many generous people in the world today.  However, in the haze of consumerism, self gratification, and self indulgence, many poor are still sidetracked and ignored.

Some people  say that  money can’t buy happiness.  It sure will when some people’s basic needs are met.  That reminds me of those living on less than a dollar a day – the people Band Aid sings about in  the hit song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” ABBA, in one of its songs, says: “money must be funny in a rich man’s world”.  Extravaganza is the game of the rich.

The poor man laments about all the things he could do if he has just a little money.

Abject poverty, homelessness, victimization, inequity and the widening gap between the rich and the poor cannot be funny in a poor woman’s world.  Michael Jackson, in his song “Heal the World”, encourages joyful giving.  Money may not buy the Beatles love, but money can show God’s love to the poor. The rich can consume less for the poor to have a little more.

The Bible draws a line between contentment and covetousness, need and greed,. Ecclesiastes says that those who love money can never have enough: those who love wealth are never satisfied with their income.  It adds that godliness and contentment is great gain; if we have food and clothing we will be content.  In today’s world, this may not be ideal for some.  How does this play into Mahatma Gandhi’s statement that there is enough for the need of the world, but not enough for its greed?

This Christmas, to deal with this lopsidedness, could our collective prayer be Agur’s prayer in Proverbs 30:7-9 ‘Lord, deprive me not: give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with the food allotted to me lest I be full and deny you, or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.’‘