Proverbs 17:3 CSB

Just like a crucible is used to test the purity of silver, and a smelter is used to test the purity of gold; the Lord uses money to test the hearts of man.

John 12:1-8 ESV

Judas was a dishonest man. Mary was a righteous woman. Judas pretends to be disgusted that Mary used her expensive ointment to wash Jesus's feet. Mary gladly "wasted" her nard on the washing of Jesus's feet. Judas wanted Mary to sell her nard and give the money to the poor (of which he would have stolen a portion). Mary used the nard to anoint the feet of her savior.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15 ESV). This was the case with Judas, and this is the case for many in the church today; they are hypocrites with evil intentions. However "do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21 ESV).

Luke 7:40-43 ESV

The borrower is slave of the lender (Proverbs 22:7b ESV). I touched on this yesterday. We shouldn't give loans unless we'd be ok with never getting repaid. Money isn't worth losing relationships over, in so far as it’s up to you. In some instances cancelling a debt may be the right decision. In many ways the larger the debt canceled, the greater the mercy shown. Let's remember to use money as an opportunity to show the light of Christ.

Matthew 18:21-35 NLT

These verses start with Jesus basically telling Peter that there shouldn't be limits to our willingness to forgive; followed by the parable of the unforgiving debtor. In the Lord's prayer Jesus teaches us to forgive debts, "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:11-12 ESV). As Christians we ought to be willing to forgive others, because we know how much our Lord has forgiven us. Unpaid loans have ruined many relationships. However a good rule of thumb is to only loan money that you will be okay with losing, or better yet setting a policy of not loaning money at all; but only giving. And when loans don't get repaid, we must be quick to show mercy. "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14-15 ESV).

Micah 1:6-7 NLT

In this passage Micah is describing the coming destruction of Samaria, because of their spiritual adultery against the Lord. There is always a consequence for our sin. Part of this destruction involves the burning of Samaria's idols, and the taking away of their money. As 1 Samuel 2:7-8 HCSB says, "The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth; He humbles and He exalts." We don’t actually have as much control as we think we do.

Ezra 3:6-7 NLT

These verses describe when the Israelites began to rebuild the temple, and how money and goods were exchanged for building materials. God uses our giving to fulfill His purposes.

1 Samuel 2:7-8 HCSB

We mustn't forget that God is in control. Our goal ought not be poverty or wealth, but to do the will of God; remembering that money is often a tool God uses to test the hearts of man.

Acts 3:1-10 HCSB

Jesus is greater than silver and gold.

Acts 4:31-37 ESV

Is the church like this today? I'd assume some are, but many Churches are not like this.

According to the Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament, " v.32 speaks of a customary practice in the early church of believers retaining their personal possessions and property and sharing them among the believers; vv.34-35 speak of an extraordinary response to special needs by some selling their property and possessions and distributing them to the needy. In other words, Luke here emphasizes that both continuous and extraordinary acts of Christian social concern were occurring in the early church..."

This is a difficult concept to wrap my head around in practice today, however we ought to follow the early churches examples of giving.

Deuteronomy 7:25-26 NLT

Not all money is good money. It matters how it is obtained. These verses come right after God tells Israel that they would have victory over other nations, but specifically tells them to burn the idols; and warns them not to keep the idols for the silver or gold. The Israelites were probably thinking, "Why let this silver and gold go to waste?" However, we must learn to trust God, even when it doesn't make sense. We will all face situations in our lives where choosing God's ways will seem foolish financially, from a worldly perspective, but will be exactly what God wants us to do (and He will bless us for it).

Ecclesiastes 7:14 NLT

We often thank God during the good times, but it tends to be more difficult to thank God during the tough times; however like James says, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing" (James 1:2-4 NLT).

With this perspective taking the good with the bad becomes much easier; especially when we realize He uses both to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 31:8-9 ESV

Christians ought to defend the rights of the poor and needy. We should not stay quiet when we see injustice against them.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NLT

Look at the other sins listed among greed! The apostle Paul let’s us know that believers ought to judge one another. Greed doesn’t belong among the people of God.

Exodus 25:1-2 ESV

In these verses God instructs Moses to take up voluntary offerings from the Israelites for the construction of the tabernacle; which is a display of 2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV, "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Proverbs 30:14 ESV

Some people in this world prey on the poor and needy; seeking to destroy them like a lion does to a gazelle. Whereas we ought to help the poor and needy as Christians.

Ruth 3:10 ESV

This was another selfless act by Ruth in her desire to continue the family line (the first was staying with her mother-in-law Naomi, after Naomi's husband died). Here Boaz was flattered that Ruth wanted to marry him (someone much older), rather than someone closer to her age. In Boaz's mind, Ruth choosing a younger person (whether poor or rich) probably made more sense.

Rather than looking at how much money someone has or how old they are; we ought to look to God in determining who to marry.

Proverbs 28:6 HCSB

Integrity matters more to God than how much money we have. However, being rich isn't the issue; in this instance the issue was becoming rich through dishonest means.

Proverbs 28:27 HCSB

How often do we pass by the person on the street asking for money? Like many other parts of Scripture we are told to give to the poor; but moreover we are told that we'll receive curses if we don't. Let's not turn a blind eye to those in need.

Exodus 23:4 HCSB

This verse comes from the same section of Scripture as yesterday, which covers old testament laws about honesty and justice. We are called to treat even our enemies as we would want to be treated. We must resist the temptation to take the stray animals as our own (aka steal), or pretend like we didn't know who they belonged to and keep walking. Very simply, we must not take things that don't belong to us, as well as being willing to go out of our way to return what we find to its rightful owner.

Exodus 23:2-3 HCBS

This section of Scripture covered old testament laws about honesty and justice. Although God often tells His children to take care of the poor, here we see that it doesn't mean we ought to show them favoritism.