Weekly Devotional: God and Money

“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.” — Matthew 6:24, NIV

For most people, money makes an impact on daily life. Whether it is through the form of a job, financial decision-making or habits, money is a driving factor behind many decisions made in today’s culture. Although money is not necessarily a bad thing, it can be easy to let it consume us and guide our actions when only God should have that power over our lives.

Matthew 6:24 talks about two masters, God and money. We cannot serve both. We have the opportunity to chose who gets our devotion and attention. So, do we follow God’s word and His will when is comes to finances? Or do we act out in greed and follow our own desires when it comes to money?

Love of Money

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” — Ecclesiastes 5:10, NIV

Money can become an obsession that can take our eyes off God and His work in our lives. It is easy to constantly want more and more. However, in view of eternity, money is meaningless. We can never find true satisfaction from money or from anything outside of God; we can only find this completion through our salvation and relationship with Christ Jesus.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” — 1 Timothy 6:10, NIV

The love of money can also lead to sin or, as 1 Timothy 6:10 puts it, all kinds of evil. When we let ourselves be consumed with gaining money, we may forget about what God has commanded us. Our actions toward others can become unloving and selfish, and greed can cloud our vision. As Christians, it is important to make sure we are staying clear of the love of money and pursuing Christ above all else.

Seek First the Kingdom of God

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” — Matthew 6:33, NIV

God knows that we are imperfect people and we still may become anxious about things such as money and finances. However, in the midst of these feelings, we can trust in God. Matthew 6 encourages us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. God will be faithful and honor our desire to seek Him as the master of our lives. Although we may never experience riches in the sense of earthly wealth, our relationship with Him is a far greater treasure.

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