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The chapter I have chosen to write about is the one about money in our class textbook.
This portion talks about how money is a positive factor but explains why it can lead to sin. In
retrospect, money is a good thing for us since its purpose is to separate us from animals and
allow us to rule the earth by creating all things fruitful (Grudem, 2003, p. 31). There is also a
common misconception that money is the base for everything evil, but the real problem is when
people love money. Others have accepted this standard because many people in power abuse
their finances and use them for personal gain. However, this reality should not enable us to
distort God’s views about money (Holz, 2021).
One point from the chapter I agreed with was that everyone is open to trading goods for
money because of the items’ potential sale value. For example, one girl in Toronto named Emily
Bitze created Bunz Trading Zone, a private Facebook group for trading things she and her
friends did not need anymore. In 2013, Emily moved to Toronto but had difficulty paying her
bills with her fixed income. Lucky for her, she had much stuff she did not use anymore and came
up with a Facebook page. Then, she created an app to accommodate the big groups who wanted
to purchase her products, making it a success (Lagace, 2017). A second point I liked is when the
author said that money lets us glorify God by tithing and giving to our peers and churches.
Nothing wrong ever comes from the world, so saying that money is a negative thing is an affront
to all things bad because the Lord owns everything on earth (Grudem, 2003, p. 32).
One point I disagreed with was how the author said money is just something we can use
honestly and faithfully because several people manipulate others with their money out of
greediness (Grudem, 2003, p. 32). For example, if someone does not want a witness to expose
their crimes, they give them hush money to keep them quiet. Our sinful nature motivates us to
corrupt God’s design for life, but the choice is ours when we want to use something for good or
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bad. Another point I disagreed with was the textbook telling us that money has much power
because although it is essential, it is not the thing that matters most in life (Grudem, 2003, p. 33).
Money helps us achieve our life goals, provide for our families, and have fun going to
entertainment venues and whatnot. However, finances have their limits since it helps us enjoy
life while we are still alive but do not motivate us to do good with it. Although money can give
us the strength to change someone else’s life, it does not mean we want to because we are all
selfish (Ganeshan, 2010). Ecclesiastes 5:10 says that anybody who loves money will never feel
fully satisfied because God is the only one who can fill a void in our hearts. In other words,
things such as money, cars, and clothes cannot give us everlasting gratification since everything
on earth comes to an end (New International Bible, 1978/2011, Ecclesiastes 5:10).
For years, people have debated whether to do what they love or work at something that
pays well. Last semester, my life was in anxiety mode after discovering how clueless my heart
was about what I wanted to do with my life after realizing medicine was not for me. In high
school, math and biology were two of my weakest subjects, including everything science-related;
and I initially wanted to be a doctor to impress my family with a high-paying job. Everyone
seemed to know what they wanted out of life, triggering feelings of shame and hopelessness.
However, God brought me to this reality and urged me to explore other majors that interested
me. Four months later, the school permitted me to change from medicine to accounting after
reading about it, giving me some peace after a tumultuous time.
After telling my parents about this revelation, they supported me and urged me to ask the
Lord to show me my purpose instead of being angry. Even so, I was only worried about whether
my career path would financially stabilize me after talking with my dad about how vital it is to
have a good income. My dad is a hard-working man who earns well as an electrical engineer but
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has always lived his life in survival mode, meaning that he loves his job but does not enjoy it. I
accepted his point of view because my family had gone through financial difficulties, but my
mom told me that money could not buy happiness since no job is worth misery if you do not
enjoy it. I have a hard time believing that because you must work for what you want, and doing
what you love is a fantasy if it does not sustain you.
One way for students to balance doing what they love and having a job with a good
source of income is to think a lot about whether it is worth it to pursue a career that brings them
financial issues in the long run (Moss, 2022). However, we can choose to work at something that
interests us to live well while working on our passions. For example, two of my passions are
singing and dancing since childhood. Still, I needed to remember that being a professional dancer
can only last for so long because your body eventually grows old and weak. The music industry
is also a business where people abuse women and try to create false images of each other,
tarnishing women’s self-esteem. Not everyone achieves their desire to be a professional singer
either because companies will not accept everyone no matter how badly someone wants a
contract. So, I decided to explore other sustainable careers to earn my degree in something that
would help me live, and then I chose accounting because of how organized the job is. It was
funny since I have always been an organized person, and it felt great to have a program that
related to me. Hebrews 13:5 tells us not to live for money but to be happy with what we have
since God will always watch over us. The verse was comforting because although I do not
always believe in God’s protection, He has never abandoned me even when I constantly doubt
Him (New International Bible, 1978/2011, Hebrews 13:5).
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References:
Grudem, W. (2003). Business for the Glory of God: The Bible’s teaching on the moral goodness
of business. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Holz, Z. (2021, July 4). Is money truly the root of all evil? The National. Retrieved September
21, 2022, from https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/money/is-money-truly-the-root-
of-all-evil-1.981237
Lagace, L. (2017, May 23). The people who want to trade for everything and pay for nothing.
New York Post. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://nypost.com/2017/05/23/the-
people-who-want-to-trade-for-everything-and-pay-for-nothing/
Moss, W. (2022, February 9). Why you should follow the money (and not your passion). The
Balance. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.thebalancemoney.com/follow-
the-money-and-not-your-passion-4064193
New International Bible. (2011). Zondervan. (Original work published 1978)
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