Having an Out-of-Control Relationship with Money

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus states, "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."

When taken out of context, this scripture can lead to extremes—either a total rejection of money despite needing it to live, or a tendency to hoard it while feeling a constant conflict between faith and financial production. However, breaking this down reveals that the issue is not the material object itself, but the heart’s priorities. It is about what determines which master receives your primary energy, time, and effort.

A "master" is defined as an authority, an expert, or the "original source" from which everything else is copied. When God is the master, He is the ruler and authority who sees your life from the first day to the last, providing wisdom and direction for the future. Conversely, if money is your master, your driving force becomes the desire to stockpile and increase wealth. This creates a divide where you must choose between obeying biblical values or following motivations driven solely by financial gain.

The Bible warns that there is no middle ground; attempting to serve both leads to being torn. Devotion—the investment of time and energy—dictates where the heart lies. When a relationship with money becomes disproportionate, it often results in negative consequences, such as:

- Compromising Values: Choosing work over worship or fellowship, not out of necessity, but to "chase" more money at the expense of spiritual health.
- Neglecting Family and Rest: Trading time with loved ones for business building, leading to extreme stress and frustration when investments don't yield immediate results.
- Foregoing a Calling: Passing up opportunities to serve others or start a nonprofit because the financial return is lower than a corporate salary, choosing comfort over trust in God’s provision.
- Risky Financial Shifts: Moving funds intended for stability—like a college fund or home repairs—into uncertain investments in hopes of reaching a specific financial number faster.
- Relocating for the Wrong Reasons: Accepting a job or move that you despise simply because the salary package is too tempting to resist, effectively trading your peace for a paycheck.

Ultimately, it is not about whether money is good or bad, but where your trust is placed. If money is your primary motivation, it will eventually dictate your decisions and distract you from what you truly value: your relationship with God, your family, and your community. Anything in our life that is out of balance that

Homework:

Is money dictating your decisions, what is one thing you can do to change this?

Prayer: Lord, search my heart; reveal to me if there is an unhealthy obsession or fixation with accumulating more money. Help me to live a balanced, non-compromising life. Help me prioritize my relationship with you first!