by winston » Sat Jun 04, 2011 7:08 am
10 Money Lessons From The Bible By Joe Mont
BOSTON (TheStreet) -- You probably won't find a copy of the King James Bible on the "business" or "personal finance" shelf of your local bookstore or library.
The Ten Commandments are just the beginning of Biblical financial lessons that can be applied to modern life.
The following are 10 areas of financial guidance that can be found in the pages of the Bible:
1) Avoid greed
A strict, literal reading of some Bible passages might not sit well with the wealthy. In championing the poor and oppressed, rich men are often cast in a negative light.
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25) is an oft-quoted passage that might not sit well with those looking to amass and preserve wealth.
Nor is the famous warning: "But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness" (Timothy 6:9).
Even harsher words, particularly scary for the current wave of gold bugs: "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire" (James 5:1).
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"