Matthew 6:24 “You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Sydney Harris wrote: “Money is a good servant but a poor master. The lure for gold is stronger than the human will, and with many a man it stands between his soul and his God. Someday it will be discovered that the bars that shut many out of the kingdom of heaven are forged of silver and gold.”
16 of Jesus’ 38 parables deal with money. The New Testament talks more about money than about heaven and hell combined, and five times more about money than prayer. So it’s clear that from God’s perspective our relationship to money is an important indicator of our level of maturity. The early church seemed to understand this. Emperor Hadrian once asked Aristides: “Just who exactly are those Christians?” Although Aristides wasn’t one of them, he gave the following summary: “They love one another, they never fail to help widows, they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If they have something, they give freely to the one who has nothing. If they see a stranger, they take him home, and they’re happy as if he’s a real brother.”
What a wonderful testimony to the saints of Aristides’ day and what a challenge for us today! Money is important. We need it to live. But let’s recognize its limits. It can buy a house but not a home; it can buy entertainment but not happiness; it can buy a good life but not eternal life. From my experience, the happiest people are those who are most generous with it. One friend said to me that the most exciting moment of his life was when he made us a six-figure donation.
So are your loyalties torn? Are you trying to bargain with God? You can’t take anything with you when you leave this earth, so choose wisely now.
Lord, I choose to serve you alone. Help me grow in generosity to others. Amen!
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