Is It Wrong to Want to Be Rich?
Note: This post originally ran January 10, 2011. I recently found several posts I thought were long gone and thought this subject may be relevant – especially in these economic times. I’d be interested in your feedback. Even if you commented back then, I’d like to hear if your thoughts remain the same.
Is It Wrong to Want to Be Rich?
Money is a sore subject to some people. To some people, it makes the world go round. To others, it’s the root of all evil. Money can bring people out of homelessness, it can doctor the sick, and it can give one a lifetime’s supply of security. Money can also cause people to hoard it over others and use it as leverage to treat people like dirt. It can lead nations to attack other nations. And it can lead people to cheat others out of it.
So, what do you think? Is money good or bad?
Obviously, this is a somewhat loaded question. Money in and of itself is just an object. A dollar bill – if examined by a prehistoric society of wandering nomads – is just a piece of paper with strange pictures of human likenesses. Coins are just shiny pieces of metal.
What is it about this concept that makes some people crazy and makes others’ dreams come true?
In churches like the one I grew up in, money is often (not always) looked at as a negative thing. People saw those who were wealthy and assumed they must have ripped someone else off to have it.
And just to get the scripture reference right, In 1 Timothy 6:10, the Apostle Paul says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
Just to get that straight, there is nothing biblical that seems to indicate that money is bad at all. It’s what people do with it.
You could, of course, also insert power or fame in this question, but in the end, money is powerful enough to buy both fame and power.
I must also say that I have had amazing experiences where those who were wealthy blessed me tremendously. They gave out of love, and it was more than I could have dreamed. And at the best possible time.
What About You?
Is it wrong to want to be rich? What motives make obtaining money okay? How does this shape your view of the world? Write your comments in the space below.
About the author
Bryan Thompson has been helping people to achieve their goals for more than twelve years. As an associate pastor for over a decade, he has helped people set big goals for their lives, figure out their ONE most important thing in life, and take massive ACTION! If you are stuck in your life, contact Bryan here!
Jk Allen
January 10, 2011 • 6:42 pm
Bryan: I had to think a little on this one. This is what I thought of…
It’s as wrong to be rich, is it’s wrong to be poor. AND – it’s as right to be rich as it is to be poor.
We have been given the full ability to make whatever decision we want. We have full ownership of one thing really in life, which is the nucleus to our body: our mind. Our mind is so brilliant and intelligently wired, that we can QUICKLY recognize the difference between right and wrong (in most cases). This being said, life is full of temptation that we can choose to entertain, if we want. Or, we can choose not to. To me, where money comes into play is within this very realm. Sure, it can corrupt us if we allow it to, but it can also grant us agency to maneuver in ways that we couldn’t without it.
Anything can be of detriment to us if we take that path. And, anything can be of benefit to us, if we allow it to. I’ve been POOR. The kind of poor where you have NOTHING to eat. Not even flour in the cupboard-type poor. And today, that fuels me in ways that I never imagined when I was young. I would never ever ever ever want my kids to experience that. So, being poor has benefited me with a drive that couldn’t have been developed with out that experience in life.
My reach for more money is simple. The more money that I can obtain in life, the more people I can turn around and help – financially. Money is a definite requirement in our society, so who is to say that having a little more or a little less is good or bad.
One day I’ll be rich, and I will be able to help improve the lives of people whose fortune mirrored mine as a kid as well as many many others.
Just like guns aren’t bad – some operators of guns are bad. Money isn’t bad – some holder of money are bad.
I hope I was able to clearly get my point across. Thanks for the fun, serious, thought provoking post.
Peace.
Bryan
January 10, 2011 • 10:51 pm
JK, you bring up some great points. The money itself is meaningless. We attach meaning to it. I especially like this,
“We have been given the full ability to make whatever decision we want. We have full ownership of one thing really in life, which is the nucleus to our body: our mind. Our mind is so brilliant and intelligently wired, that we can QUICKLY recognize the difference between right and wrong.”
It is all in our choices. We were made to make the most of our lives. It’s why we’re alive. To LIVE. There are billionaires who have all that money and have no idea how to live. They survive. Or they work all the time. Thanks for adding so much!
Radu Tyrsina@SmartAboutThings
January 11, 2011 • 2:31 am
I recall that there’s not a single paragraph in Bible where it is writtent that it is wrong. However, there are indications that greed is the second big sin. There are many rich persons who fall intro greed
Fred Leo
January 11, 2011 • 7:05 am
I think that the Bible in fact treats money as a necessity. The Bible calls on all of us to tithe so that the church has enough money to not have to raise funds by other means which might compromise the integrity of the church.
Bryan
January 11, 2011 • 9:03 am
Fred, you are right. And the principle of tithing is foundational to the teachings of the church. Yes, there are certainly churches who abuse this principle. But tithing does two things:
1.) It supports the church’s mission to reach out to the poor, oppressed, orphaned, and widowed.
2.) It has a unique effect on the individual who gives, delivering a subconscious message to our minds that there is more than enough to go around for everyone. That there is always more than enough. And that we don’t have to be a tightwad to be blessed.
Thanks so much man! I appreciate it!
Bryan
January 11, 2011 • 8:55 am
And I would add that all of us are capable of this greed. We’re human and have to guard ourselves against this kind of attitude and the subsequent behavior that comes with it. Thanks!
Radu Tyrsina@SmartAboutThings
January 12, 2011 • 9:06 am
Waiting you with a comment over my place
it concerns you too 
Bob Bessette
January 10, 2011 • 7:26 pm
Hi Bryan,
I don’t think it is wrong to be rich especially if you use your “rich-ness” to help others as it sounds like others have done for you. I tend to use the word “rich” in another sense (no pun intended). I feel that I am a rich person because of the blessings I have been bestowed with such as my family, my health, etc. If I was “rich” in the way that you meant in this post I would have a lot more time and resources to help people. The older I get the more I really want to give of myself but I have to get up each day and head to work. Don’t get me wrong, I have a good job and work with good people but I would so much want to have the time to do for others.
So, when it comes down to it, richness in the proper hands is a really good thing. And for those people it is not wrong to want to be rich.
Best,
Bob
Bryan
January 10, 2011 • 10:55 pm
Bob, you are truly a blessed man. And you have a great perspective. And I think when we’re open and are pursuing what we want with everything in us, I think God has a way of giving us what we need at the time. When we’re in it for the right reasons, we will have what we need to make the world better. Appreciate your thoughts!
Dandy
January 10, 2011 • 7:55 pm
Hi Bryan,
Great question. I love Jk’s answer. Money isn’t the problem. It’s greedy people who are. Everyone fantasizes about having all they could ever want. I remember a time when I fantasized that I could go into a grocery store and buy whatever I wanted. Now I can do that! I may not be able to go buy a new car, but my life is filled with privleges and richness. I feel rich and that’s a wonderful thing!
~Dandy
Bryan
January 10, 2011 • 10:58 pm
Dandy, thanks so much for reading! I love that you said you FEEL rich. That’s really what we’re after in our quest to get what we want in this life. The money holds no real value in itself. But if we have what we need and we decide to be in love with life, we feel rich. There are billionaires who are miserable. And there are people who have traded in their paychecks traveling from country to country living off of little and enjoying their adventures. Rich as rich can be.
Thanks so much!
Fred Leo
January 11, 2011 • 7:06 am
Dandy,
You are so right. The problem is when we become driven by money. Money should be a tool to help you live the life you want. Then, it is up to you to make sure that life is one of virtue and integrity.
Bryan
January 11, 2011 • 9:04 am
Fred,
“Money should be a tool to help you live the life you want. Then, it is up to you to make sure that life is one of virtue and integrity.”
LOVE that quote, man!
Brad
January 10, 2011 • 9:08 pm
Bryan, I’m sure you can guess what I am going to say… I like the way Dave Ramsey puts it: “Money is a tool, but it magnifies who you are. If you are jerk before having money, they you become a bigger jerk with more money.”
I was hoping to hear from someone who thinks it is wrong to be rich, because I would like to know what that argument is….
Bryan
January 10, 2011 • 11:01 pm
Brad, Ha ha. Maybe someone will disagree later.
I am interested in seeing where the money debate will go, but so far, most people just want to be rich. 
Interesting, I was waiting for someone to mention Dave Ramsey and you did. I heard Dave Ramsey once where a lady said, “Is it possible to be a Christian and be rich? It seems to contradict the teachings of Jesus.” Dave thought about it and said, “No, it’s not possible. You may have lots of money, but you must know all the time that it belongs to God, not you. And the moment God tells you to give it away, you have to be willing to do it.”
Brad
January 12, 2011 • 4:02 pm
Yeah, that sounds like him. His whole platform is all about giving, live like no one else, so you can live like no one else, then give like no one else.
Bryan
January 12, 2011 • 6:35 pm
Brad, that is one of my favorite sayings of his, too!
Stuart
January 11, 2011 • 4:29 am
Is it wrong to be rich? What is rich? What is wrong?
Is love of money evil? Is fear of money evil? Do others matter if you want to be rich? Can you be rich without others?
So many questions, my head spins. If I started, I’d write a blog series, so I won’t clutter your comments box Bryan!
Thanks for the read though, made me think until it hurt
Bryan
January 11, 2011 • 9:05 am
Stuart, thank you mate. Sorry to make your thinker sore.
Maybe you should write a blog series about it.
David
January 11, 2011 • 8:59 am
Bryan,
Like you I have been blessed tremendously by people who were wealthy. They have taught me how to make money honorably and how to give charitably. I have learned much about stewardship from wealthy people who understood the principle.
Unfortunately, most who get wealthy ruin their lives because they do not know how to steward such wealth and power with dignity and honor. I have also meet wealthy people who were selfish in lifestyle and giving.
All that to say, as already mentioned in someone comments and replies, it depends on the value someone places on money and wealth. Yet, the world in her entirety does not function on biblical principles. Since I am a pastor and not a business man (although I was in retail management for 10 years), I see everything through a biblical lens. Therefore, the value you place on money will in the end control how you view it, use it, and give it away.
Great post to get us thinking.
Bryan
January 11, 2011 • 9:10 am
David, thanks for your brilliant feedback, man. Yes, I think those wealthy individuals who blessed me so generously were blessed BECAUSE of their generosity (generosity begins before we ever acquire wealth). Any time in my life that I’ve been given blessed with an abundance of money or a really generous client, I think of those who gave to me in my time of need and – before anything else – I pray I can be as generous to someone who needs it.
“Yet, the world in her entirety does not function on biblical principles. Since I am a pastor and not a business man (although I was in retail management for 10 years), I see everything through a biblical lens.”
A few years ago, I went to a Willow Creek Summit and Jim Collins (Good to Great) was one of the speakers. And he said something that changed the way I thought about things.
“Churches shouldn’t want to function like a business,” he said. “For one thing, most businesses aren’t very good. For another thing, when you’re in business, your export is MONEY. But when you’re a church, your export MUST BE PEOPLE.”
Challenged me like crazy!
David
January 11, 2011 • 10:33 am
I viewed Jim Collins talk though simulcast both times he spoke at Willow Creek’s Leadership Summit. I agree, totally challenged. Churches are all about the GOSPEL and all about PEOPLE!
Bryan
January 11, 2011 • 10:51 am
David, it’s hard to argue with that, my friend.
Jennifer Brown Banks
January 11, 2011 • 9:04 am
I think that it is our “perceptions” not our “possessions” that make us rich.
With that being said, I feel “rich” on most days, even when my budget dictates “Ramen Noodles.”
I don’t want to be rich, but I wouldn’t mind being “ridiculously comfortable.”
And as Hollywood shows us, money ain’t everything.
Bryan
January 11, 2011 • 9:12 am
Jennifer, as a fellow freelancer, I often have Ramen budgets as well. And I want to let it be said that this is the second time today I have written the word “Ramen” on something. Maybe I need some dehydrated noodles.
Brad
January 12, 2011 • 4:03 pm
Ridiculously comfortable? Love it!!!
Bryan
January 12, 2011 • 6:36 pm
Yeah, I definitely loved the “ridiculously comfortable” comment.
Samuel
January 11, 2011 • 11:08 am
Awesome post Bryan! It’s only the poor who think money is a bad thing. Money is important in this world but life is more important than money.Money is use in supporting life. So being rich is not a crime. When you get the money, spend it wisely. Thanks so much!
Bryan
January 11, 2011 • 12:49 pm
Samuel, thanks for reading! Your reply made me think of the famous Oscar Wilde quote,
“There is only one class of people that thinks about money more than the rich, and that is the poor. In fact, the poor can think of nothing else.”
Thanks for commenting!
Juanita
January 11, 2011 • 2:20 pm
Great post. Thanks Bryan.
I am reminded of ‘Think and grow rich’ where Napoleon Hill says (in reference to wealth) ‘The best thing I can do for the poor is not become one of them’.
Bryan
January 11, 2011 • 2:39 pm
Juanita, thanks for reading and for your comment! I LOVE Think and Grow Rich! Phenomenal book. Hill was a phenomenal thinker!
Marcus Sheridan-The Sales Lion
January 11, 2011 • 2:38 pm
Hey Bryan, great post and great conversation going on here. Personally, I get along well with money. I see how it’s a necessary element and enjoy spending it on my kids, my wife, my family, and others that can be blessed with any prosperity that may come my way. Like so many have said quite eloquently in this post, (with of course JK starting it all off with a bang) it’s a matter of what our thoughts and intentions are….after all, when it comes down to it, it’s just paper.We define it’s identity.
Bryan
January 11, 2011 • 2:56 pm
Marcus, thanks, buddy! You’re right. JK hit it off with a bang! Wow. He had better content than I did. Ha ha.
I am a little surprised no one seemed to have a different opinion. I was waiting to see if anyone would have issues with it, but it kind of shows where we are as a society. And it may be healthy. We’ve seen money be used and abused and we know it can be used for a lot of good.
Maybe it’s good we’re not as skeptical a society as we used to be.
Walter
January 11, 2011 • 8:07 pm
I believe there’s nothing wrong with being rich. Would it be a sin if we use our God-given abilities to further ourselves? I think not.
Things that are bad resides in the minds of man, and never will be on external things.
Bryan
January 12, 2011 • 8:36 am
Walter, thank you for the comment. And thanks for reading. I would take your point further and say that I think it’s closer to sin for us NOT to make the most of the life we’ve been given. Thanks for reading. Don’t be a stranger!
Michelle Brown
January 12, 2011 • 7:37 am
1 Timothy 6:10 states “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (NLT) That just sums it up nicely for me. When we place money, or anything else, above our faith and trust in God, than we have opened the door to all kinds of trouble.
As many have said, it is not how much or how little you have, it is how much it rules your life. I recall a time early in our marriage where we didn’t have much. Each paycheck we had enough to pay tithes, pay bills and get food to eat (and by food, I mean Ramen and PB&J). But we had this peace, regardless of the fact that we had little.
On the other hand, I remember one time we were blessed with funds, and we misused them. We hoarded the money, were selfish, and forgot that we are just stewards of the gifts God had blessed us with. Despite having the money, we had no peace.
We had the chance to trust God in both of these circumstances. In the first, we trusted God to continue to keep us, as we continued to be faithful to Him. In the second, we clearly forgot this, and we trusted in the money, not God.
Great post.
Bryan
January 12, 2011 • 8:38 am
Michelle, thank you for sharing your story. I have been there. And I would even use the excuse, “Oh, I’m not good with money.” It was ridiculous. I had to learn to DECIDE to be good with money – and by being good with it, I had to know where my money was going. And the whole principle of tithing thing? It WORKS!
Ishan
January 12, 2011 • 1:28 pm
No! It is not wrong to be want to be rich. It is wrong to want to be rich using the methods that are wrong.
According to me, it is the method that makes it right or wrong.
Bryan
January 12, 2011 • 1:32 pm
Ishan, I agree. History tells us time and time again that if you build an empire by conquering and competing, it will fall every time (and if it hasn’t it will), but if you build it by creating opportunity and enriching people, it will sustain itself. Thank you for your comment.
Allan Douglas
January 12, 2011 • 8:22 pm
Bingo! So many people misquote 1 Tm 6:10 by leaving out ‘love of’. Greed is the problem not money.
I’ve known quite a few people who figured that poverty equals piety, thus wealth equals worldly. And to an extent they’re right, for it is as difficult for a rich man to enter heaven as it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. But it is not impossible. People who aquire wealth by pursuing wealth will be the cammel. Those who aquire wealth by pursuing God are another story.
I have met 3 such people, so I know it is possible. Me? I too am rich, just not in a monetary sense.
Bryan
January 13, 2011 • 6:16 am
Allan, thanks! Interesting quote, “people who acquire wealth by pursuing wealth will be the camel. Those who acquire wealth by pursuing God are another story.” I agree, and I think the best way we show our pursuit of God is freely giving. Amazing how much we get back when we give. Thanks for sharing!
Hector Avellaneda
January 12, 2011 • 8:36 pm
Bryan
I am kind of late to this post but as soon as I saw it I knew I had to comment on it.
This very same question was something that was troubled me for quite sometime until I actually came to a decision.
I love the fact that you used the biblical reference in your post because it was the very same thing that came to my mind as soon as I saw your post.
I may be repeating this but that’s exactly right. It’s the love of money that is the root of all evil. Money itself is amoral. There are rich as well as porr people that do good things with their money. Similarly, there are rich and poor people that do bad things with their money.
Wanting to be rich is not a bad thing. In fact, the bible makes many references to money. I learned this while going through Dave Ramsey’s FInancial Peace University. God wants man to live financially prosperous lives. The first step is to increase our financial IQ!
Great post Bryan
Bryan
January 13, 2011 • 6:18 am
Hector, awesome! We’ve done Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University as well! It’s awesome having no debt or car payments, isn’t it?
Dia
January 12, 2011 • 9:46 pm
Hi Bryan,
Wanting to be rich is very good and beneficial, not just for you or me, but for everyone involved. There is nothing glamarous about being poor. Money is a good thing and I love it
The more rich a person is, the more he can help others and make a positive difference in the world. This is the way I look at it. Thanks for sharing my friend 
Bryan
January 13, 2011 • 6:20 am
Dia, nothing glamourous about being poor at all, bro. Ha ha. I love how people are coming back to the “more rich you are, the more you can give.” These are words to live by. My prayer is that I can live it out! Thanks for your comment!
Jia Jun
January 13, 2011 • 4:05 pm
Agree with you Bryan. There’s always the pros and cons, light and dark side of everything.
After all, it is how we utilize and use it, There’ll always be a balance line between both, whether it’s higher on one side or another; but one thing for sure, both side exist.
Including the right and wrong to be rich.
Bryan
January 14, 2011 • 12:21 am
Jia Jun, thank you for your comment. There is a natural balance to everything in life, and at any time, any of us are capable to rocking that balance or rising above. The choice is ours. Thanks again for reading! Don’t be a stranger.
Dan Lew
January 14, 2011 • 4:08 am
As humans we deserve to enjoy life with luxuries and spoil ourselves and by being wealthy allows us to live life to the fullest.
Bryan
January 14, 2011 • 4:47 am
Dan, thank you for the comment and for reading! I like how Wallace Wattles once put it, “Whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a full life unless one is rich.” This is how we can make the most of ourselves and how we can give the most to those around us.
Welcome to ElevationLife. Don’t be a stranger!
Alison Moore Smith
January 15, 2011 • 7:25 am
Thanks for getting the scripture right. It’s mind-numbingly annoying that people regularly (on this subject and others) make nonsense of perfectly good scriptural counsel! (The same thing happens with “judgement,” too.)
Money — like pretty much every other resource, asset, skill, character trait — has a good side and a bad side. Use it for good, it’s good. Use it for evil, it’s evil. It’s not about the OBJECT, it’s about the BEHAVIOR.
Thanks for a great post.
Bryan
January 15, 2011 • 5:10 pm
Alison, thank you for reading and for the comment! I really appreciate it.
I think where we have to be careful with money is the same where we have to be careful with fame or power: to not let an abundance of it change us. We have all seen cases where someone gets famous or powerful very quickly – someone who may have started with the best intentions – but they let their guard down and it changed them.
We have to be like those who develop habits of generosity before they ever strike it rich. And pray to God we can keep those habits.
What do you think? Thank you again for your comment!
Jackie Christiansen
January 19, 2011 • 10:21 am
Bryan, I think that everyone wants to be comfortable with their finances. To me, the most important thing is act with integrity and follow your passion. Happiness is much more important than being rich.
Just always be true to who you are the money should be a pleasant surprise!!
Good post!
Bryan
January 19, 2011 • 4:33 pm
Jackie, thank you for the comment. I really appreciate it as well as the kind words. Have a great weekend!
JENNIFER BROWN BANKS
March 6, 2012 • 3:32 pm
As we can witness by all the suicides, wreckless behavior, substance abuse and moral decline of numerous Hollywood stars, money is not an elixir for curing all woes, nor is it the key to happiness. Just like power, it depends upon how you use it.
JENNIFER BROWN BANKS recently posted..The "Roar Series" Presents Phenomenal Women Writers
Bryan
March 7, 2012 • 4:01 pm
Jennifer, that’s getting right to the heart of what I think too. It’s all in how we use what we do, and anything we have at our disposal is as wonderful or as deadly as our worst or best attitudes are. Thanks! Good to hear from you!
Bryce Christiansen
March 6, 2012 • 9:59 pm
Hi Bryan,
Like Daniel Tosh says, “I call bull on whoever said money doesn’t buy happiness, have you ever seen someone crying on a wave runner?”
No I don’t think it’s bad to want to be rich. I would love to make more money so I could have better health/dental insurance, to own a home, to keep my cars in top condition and other general maintenance things.
I think money is a flawed goal if it’s solely for the pursuit of material things. I don’t want to ever put value in things over family.
If money means my family can live comfortably with shelter, food, and health taken care of, then I don’t see a problem with that.
Great comments here.
Bryce
Bryce Christiansen recently posted..The People Profiler Has Officially Launched
Kristin Thompson
March 7, 2012 • 4:03 pm
Hey Bryce, I agree with you there, and many self-made millionaires have made the same choices in life. They don’t drive massive cars or live in million-dollar mansions. They do wise things with their money and give a lot of it away to those in need. I think it all depends on our hearts and our attitudes. Thanks buddy!
Kristin Thompson
March 7, 2012 • 4:10 pm
This is Bryan btw. I logged in under the wrong account.
The Painful Truth
April 8, 2012 • 4:38 am
It is definitely wrong to be rich as long as people are starving or unable to afford health care, etc., because that wealth is undeserved in the mind of God. Even though we all like to squirm out of this uncomfortable truth (myself included), no justification for hoarding wealth will suffice in God’s eyes. Ultimately the questions will be raised: do I DESERVE a $50,000 car more than a bunch of starving children deserve food for years? I can say the starving children should “work for their food”, but did I work for my food as a child? Do I DESERVE to buy a diamond ring for my wife while some underprivileged man who works harder than I do is unable to afford the treatment to SAVE THE LIFE of his wife who has a curable disease? Do I DESERVE to hoard millions in the bank under the guise of “financial security” while that money could be used to restore sight or hearing to hundreds of children? It’s easy for me to claim that I “worked hard” to deserve these things, but I can’t avoid the question of whether I REALLY deserve such luxuries in God’s eyes, considering what the money could be used for instead. Let’s say I make $10 million a year, it will be very easy for me to donate a token 1 or 2 or 3 million. But what about the other $7-9 million; do I REALLY deserve it in God’s eyes, considering what it could be used for instead? 7-9 million means I make over 100 times what the average American makes. Did I work 100 times harder than the average American? How about 50? Or 25? I know I can’t fool God even if I wanted to.
There was a reason why Jesus told the rich man to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. It is because in God’s eyes, the poor deserve necessities more than the rich deserve luxuries. Again, I wish I could avoid these uncomfortable truths and buy all the things I want while only donating a small percentage of my money to the less fortunate (as almost all rich people do); however, if I had to bet my life on whether God would approve of such behavior, I know for certain that He wouldn’t, and there is no point in denying it.
Not Sure About This
April 12, 2012 • 7:37 pm
Ok, let’s say it is obviously not wrong to want to be rich, only because you obviously don’t publish the responses which disagree with your viewpoint. What is the point of a discussion/debate like this when you are not willing to entertain any arguments from the opposite side?
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