No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24
Sex, heaven and hell are pretty weighty topics. But Jesus Christ talked more about another topic than any of these.
Money. The topic that Jesus mentioned more than anything else was money. Jesus recognized money for what it is: a seductive power that so easily becomes an idol and a rival god. Right now, evil is temporarily in control of this world and Scripture says, “All that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and [the] pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world (1 John 1:16). That’s why “Greed is a sin that we can commit daily and not even be aware of it.”[1]
You and I will have one of two types of relationships with money. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). “It’s not that you shouldn’t try to pursue both God and money,” says one pastor, “it’s that you can’t. You have one heart that will be set on one thing at a time.”[2]
How do we know what our hearts are set on? Here are some questions to think about:
- How much of my money, if any, do I give away?
- How do I feel when I lose money?
- If I seek to follow Jesus, are my financial priorities any different than those of a person who doesn’t claim to follow Him?
- Have you stopped to think about the way you view your money?
Greed is the world’s norm but if you follow Jesus, it shouldn’t be yours.
[1]Beeman, John. “This is The Way to Invest.’” Stonecreek Christian Church, September 11, 2022. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Sermon.
[2] Ibid.
