“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Mt. 6:24
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Mt. 6:19-21
Ever been in the process of making a decision and asked yourself this? Or already made a decision and followed through on it and later on asked yourself this? Is money your motive?
Maybe the answer is disguised under something like this. I need to take care of the kids, so… I’m a single mom after all. I need to pay off my debt, so…I need to save for my future, so…I need to put away money for my retirement, so…
Bottom line? I’m not a Bible expert, but I don’t recall ever coming across a Bible verse in which the Lord tells us that money should be our motive. He actually warns us numerous times against making money our motive, master, god, lord, etc.
Doesn’t money matter? Don’t we need to be responsible? Isn’t it irresponsible to not care about it? To not take it into consideration? To not be a good steward of it? To not be wise about it? To not work for it?
Of course we need to be responsible to God, and with the responsibilities He gives us, including with and about money. But money matters then in the context of God – in the context of loving and serving and obeying God. Money then is not our motive, but something with which God has entrusted us to be wise and responsible with, and to use for His purposes for His ultimate glory.
Money is not to be our master, nor our motive. Not to be our lord, nor our god. Not to be our ultimate goal, nor is making it, getting it, having it, saving it, using it, etc. to be our primary purpose. The Lord is our provider, and when we seek and obey Him, He provides for us however He desires, including through money if, when, how, through whom, through what, job or otherwise, and as He desires.
We are not to serve money as our master, but to serve Christ as our Lord. Our greatest riches should never be in the bank or in our wallets, nor should our greatest desire be found in earthly riches. Our greatest riches, desires, and motives, should be in Christ Jesus, and in God’s heavenly, spiritual blessings. The greatest riches of all, the greatest wealth, the greatest treasure, should be God almighty Himself.