Matthew 6:24 says “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Have you ever wondered why the Bible talks so much about money? It is discussed more than almost every topic including prayer, healing, heaven, and hell. I think it’s because God knows how easily many of us could elevate money to the position of master in our lives.
Why’s that a problem? Because God and money have very different agendas for us. Money as master demands that your time and priorities be focused on the material rather than the spiritual; on temporary things rather than eternal, and on self rather than others. More money means more feelings of security, comfort, status, and power. Pride, temptation, and materialism are all natural by-products when money is your master.
God has a different set of expectations. Rather than elevating yourself, He calls you to die to yourself. He expects us to rely completely on Him; to be humble, content, self-controlled, loving, and generous.
As you can see, the things that create the illusion of security in the world’s economy actually put you at great risk in God’s. We all need money, of course, but how we view it is critical. Money is a terrible master, but it can be a great tool to accomplish God’s purposes. What position does money occupy in your life? Do you need to demote it to its proper place? Only then will you truly be able to honor God with your finances.
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Nice Joe. Well done.
Thanks Phil!
It’s definitely a struggle. You want to provide and have nice things for your family so you can enjoy maybe seeing some of God’s great creations whether that is traveling to see family or traveling to see some great earth creation, your going to need money yet if you have to much it’s so easy to rely on it than ask God in prayer. I don’t think too much money is problem for most people on earth though. Wonders what God would say though.
Yeah, Rob I think there’s definitely a tension that Christians feel between God and money. I know I do anyway. I certainly don’t think the Bible counsels us against having money. I think the problem arises when we make money our God (we covet it, stress over it, worship it, etc.). If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, you should read Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller. He talks about how we tend to put things like money, success, and love into the position of God and how that will ultimately let us down. I’m doing it with a small group right now and it’s really good. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks Joe. Loving eternal God vs. corruptible insignificant stuff. Why is our choice of masters so hard?
Great point Niel! And yet I find myself struggling with it all the time. I think it has something to do with our tendancy as humans to choose the immediate/seen over the distant/unseen. It’s a good reminder to keep an eternal perspective. Thanks for commenting!
The statement “How we view it is critical” in regards to money says alot to me. I too don’t believe that God wants us to be without, but how we feel about what we have is the important thing. How grateful am I and how do I use what I have been given to help Gods children. This works in all aspects of our lives not just financial. Thanks for the article.