Money is Not the Root of All Evil

Money is a man-made inanimate object that has been used and misused by man for millennia and has been turned into an object of worship. The desire for this inanimate object has caused grief in many ways. It has fed the temptations of Greed, Lust, Gluttony, and Power. Money has been used by man to fuel dissention, an ungodly feeling of self-worth, and changed history.  The one thing this all has in common is that it was used by man for selfish intentions. Money is not the root, the root is our sinful desire for power, wealth, and a false sense of happiness for which the Adversary uses the inanimate object as a tool for temptation.  
Human power comes in many forms. There is the obvious power of leadership over a large grouping of like-minded or coerced individuals, but mostly power is the desire for control over an object used by people or people themselves. Many instances in the Bible tells of the lust for power and the damaging effects that trickle down and the eventual fall the leaders face. (Proverbs 8:15, By Me kings reign, and rulers decree justice) Jesus was given authority over the heavens and the earth. We are under His authority and no other but those given it by Him.
When a person wants a full satisfying life filled with material things that brings out the desire for wealth. The need to make as much money as humanly possible to buy what they believe satisfies their desire for making life easier for themselves and their families. Yes it is a good feeling to know that the children will be well off and not need for anything but what does that lead to? We have seen it in the entitlement population. People believe that they are entitled to things that they are not. Our ancestors worked hard to make life a little easier for us but we still must do something in order to receive. The money of the past does not help the generations of our future. If we misuse and waste what our parents worked hard to achieve (Prodigal Son anyone) without the appreciation of comfort and desire to do the same for our descendants, they will have nothing. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Matthew 6:19), do not become materialistic, stockpiling (hoarding) for later. You cannot take it with you.
This leads to the false sense of happiness. There is no amount of money in the world that can make anyone truly happy. They may think that gaining wealth and having power is a way to happiness but it is a mark of eventual destruction of the soul when it is misused. Greed has a lot to do with that. People get paid massive amounts of money to play professional sports, act on major stages or on film, a popular singer, or anyone who does things that gets them fame and amasses a fortune.  They are happy for a little while but that is a temporary feeling. When the pressure gets too much they fall into other temptations which sometimes ends their lives. The danger is when they care more for gaining money than for the joy of performing or playing the game (when it becomes a job), they lose sight of the truth in the happiness and it effects those around them like a virus.
True happiness comes in knowing and loving God, being obedient to the Father and living in His ways. Keeping His Word on our hearts and meditating on it daily.
Psalm 1
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Remember:  We cannot blame inanimate objects for our sinful desires, those objects are created to express the material form of what makes people without God happy. Dependence on material things only lead to sorrow in the end. Delight in the Lord and eat the fruit of His Truth. Amen.