Money is not evil; it is a means of payment used to establish and preserve the value of goods. Money is a measure of value, a medium of exchange between people or countries, and a means of accumulation, saving, and influencing other people.
Let me tell you a parable that I shared earlier.
Once two close friends, Love (Lyuba) and Money (Monya), met and decided to spend the evening together. They embraced, sat down at the table, and began a warm, heart-to-heart conversation. Monya decided to pour out her heart to her friend and was the first to share what troubled her.
‘Lyuba, even though we are different, we have so much in common. Everyone confuses us and does not understand which one of us they are dealing with.’
‘In what way, Monya, do you see us as being alike?’
‘We have the same power to influence people, and that influence transforms the mind. Those who begin to learn about and study us change. Their minds grasp the laws and depths of our existence. People who come into very close contact with us become different.
We often use each other to achieve our goals.
Those who do not know us closely call us evil and are afraid to possess us.
You and I never run out; we have unlimited potential and possibilities.
The inhabitants of this Earth serve both you and me, but they do not understand that it is impossible to please us both at once. Nevertheless, they still try to combine the two kinds of service.
We have One Father. Although you are older than I am, Lyuba, and I was born for this world and will remain in it, we still have a common purpose: to pay for the services of other people and to serve as a means of settlement in human relationships.
Those who study the laws of our influence begin to grow spiritually and acquire the mind of a person who is rich in us. And by knowing us personally, they can successfully use our influence for their own interests and for the interests of our Father.’
‘Monya, I have noticed that when people serve us, they divide into two camps. Although this service is described by the same general word, the directions of development are entirely different.’
‘Yes, Lyuba, I see that too. What saddens me especially is that our brother Lucifer distorts our character and misrepresents us to this world. Unlike you, I am only a means of paying for services and achieving certain goals, yet he presents me as the goal and meaning of life—which is what you are. Many believe him, begin to serve me, and use my influence to bring about their own destruction.
Throughout the history of the world's development, I have changed my form many times, and now I have become completely virtual, but my essence remains the same. I am only a means, yet I have been placed on a pedestal and worshiped. People do not understand that they are not bowing to me, but to Lucifer, who uses my name to achieve his base purposes.’
‘Yes, Monya, I know Lucifer's ability to distort everything. Do you remember when I revealed myself to this world in all the beauty and purity of my influence and showed people the true character of our Father? Under our brother's influence, they rejected me, crucified me, made a mockery of me, and killed me. But that very event revealed my entire essence and Lucifer's true character. Despite being rejected, I live on and win many souls.
Yet now Lucifer has reduced me to the level of passion and has made my name commonplace and frivolous. Poor people have become afraid of me. They have stopped believing in my power. But I am strong. No barriers can stop me, and wherever I am, there is victory.’
‘Yes, Lyuba, I have noticed that, unlike me, no one can ever have too much of you. Although you are boundless, everyone who possesses you becomes wise, strong, calm, and very much like our Father.
Those who serve me, however, very quickly become satiated and corrupt their ways so badly that they use me to destroy themselves and others. At times it seems to me that people have simply gone mad. Even those who possess you, Lyuba, very often fall under the evil influence of my worshipers and turn to them for help in carrying out their plans and solving their problems.
People think that we give them freedom. But my freedom is conditional and depends on the stability of financial institutions. It has no firm foundation, while your freedom is real and eternal, and those whom you set free, Lyuba, are truly free. I so enjoy giving myself to these people who possess you, Lyuba. They know how to use me, and, armed with my influence, they successfully achieve their goals. At the same time, they do not become attached to me; possessing you, Lyuba, they love one another and remain faithful to you.
But unfortunately, if I cease to be merely a means even in the hands of these people and become their goal and meaning, these unfortunate souls very quickly lose sight of you, even though they continue to bear your name.
What a fine line!’
‘But it will not always be this way, Monya. Very soon I will bring this world to an end, and I will give everyone who possesses me an eternal inheritance for their everlasting enjoyment. I will become eternal joy upon their faces and eternal happiness within their hearts. Very soon all of this will end, and I will show everyone living on this planet my true value and unfading beauty.’
‘It is so good to be with you, Lyuba. Let us meet more often. Perhaps my followers will also hear your voice and open their hearts to you. How deeply I desire this! Then I too will be able, through them, to direct all my power and influence toward accomplishing your plans and purposes.’
‘How glad I am that you understand me, Monya. I also enjoy using you in my projects, but where can I find managers to whom I can entrust you, so that they will become channels rather than bags for abundance? I hope our Father has many such children. I am preparing them for this mission, and the more of me they possess, the more of you I can entrust to them, Monya. And now I must go. I sense the thirst of those who sought me, found me, and are asking me to come. Until we meet again. Do not forget me, and I will give you, Monya, to all those who long to hasten my day.’
‘Goodbye, Lyuba. Until we meet next week.’
Holiness in finances is my personal understanding of the One to Whom all the material blessings entrusted for my use belong, and the corresponding attitude toward these resources as an opportunity to use them in serving people.
God is the Owner of all earthly riches, and He carefully watches how I manage everything entrusted to me.
My proper understanding of Who the true Owner of my finances and wealth is opens opportunities for me to use them properly.
My financial illiteracy, even when my income is high, brings poverty and a constant shortage of money into my life.
Holiness in finances means knowing how to earn money, understanding Whose it is, knowing how to spend it wisely on essential needs, knowing how to invest it in good deeds, knowing how to store it in Heavenly treasuries, and being able to increase it honestly. It is sincerity in dedicating it to God.
The presence or absence of money does not indicate my spirituality and cannot be the foundation of my happiness. Yet poverty or abundance can become a great temptation to my soul, bring vanity into my life, or deprive me of Eternal hope. Love teaches me to relate properly to everything entrusted to my earthly possession, to earn and spend it wisely, and to invest all my love in every undertaking.
Bible verses for this chapter:
Proverbs 30:7–9; Matthew 6:24; Luke 12:15–21; 18:24–30; 19:8–10; Psalm 37:16–17; 52:9–11; 73:1–28; Proverbs 3:13–18; 11:4, 16, 28; 13:7–11; 14:24; 19:4; 22:4, 16; 23:4–5; 28:22; Ecclesiastes 5:9–18; 9:11; Song of Solomon 8:7