You Cannot Serve God and Money

To those of us who don’t have as much, it seems like there are a lot of other people with a lot of money. According to an Oct. 23, 2023, post on the Forbes Advisor website, there are 22 million millionaires and 735 billionaires in the United States.

It’s natural to envy the super-rich, who seem to have a life of luxury and ease while most of us struggle to make ends meet. The distribution of affluence is uneven, and some would say it’s unfair. Prosperity seems to be out of reach for all but a few.

In an attempt to gain wealth, many put their hopes in winning a lottery.

“About half of Americans play state lotteries, with total sales topping $71 billion in 2017 (the most recent year on file), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Consumers each spend an average of about $86 a month on lottery tickets, including everything from scratch-off cards that come out of vending machines to entries for the Powerball and Mega Millions competitions” (CNBC.com).

In early February 2024 the Mega Millions jackpot was $358 million. The odds of buying the winning ticket were 1 in 302.6 million. Still, many people reason that there is a chance, and after all, somebody will win the jackpot—why not me?

A different kind of wealth

Jesus warned that riches aren’t what they seem to be. He taught about the danger of making money and possessions the primary focus of our efforts. And He promised that there is another kind of wealth that we can all acquire that is much more valuable than physical abundance.

To be rich in the way Jesus offers, we need to consider two questions: What is genuine wealth? And whom will we choose to be the master of our lives?

No man can serve two masters

Jesus taught this invaluable lesson in an analogy in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (emphasis added throughout).

“Mammon” is the transliteration of an Aramaic word meaning money or wealth.

In Matthew 6:25-33 Jesus teaches that we need to have faith to serve God instead of money. And if we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” He will provide for all of our physical needs. The phrase “no one can serve two masters” establishes the premise of Jesus’ lesson. In this verse God and money are portrayed as slave owners. A slave’s master owns and has full control and authority over his slave. So, by definition, a slave cannot have two masters. But if he did, he couldn’t serve both of them equally.

The phrase “he will hate the one and love the other” means that the slave would prefer one over the other.

In this analogy Jesus is teaching that we must choose the one that will be the master of our life. Will we be controlled and guided by God’s teachings, or will we dedicate ourselves to seeking money and possessions?

We can’t do both.

Material wealth vs. spiritual wealth

To fully appreciate the lesson, look back a few verses to see the context.

In verses 19-21 Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

It’s natural to try to find satisfaction and security in the comfort and pleasure of what we can purchase with money. But Jesus teaches that possessions are short-lived and vulnerable. They can get old and wear out, or someone else could steal them.

The security that physical prosperity offers is temporary at best.

Money is a harsh master

The apostle Paul emphasizes this lesson in the letter he wrote to Timothy. He makes a strong statement about the hazards of physical wealth in 1 Timothy 6:6-10. Each of these four short statements makes an important point.

• Verse 6: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” The phrase “great gain” usually refers to financial profit. But Paul is saying that there is great spiritual “gain” in living a godly life and being content with what we have.
• Verse 7: “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” Paul originated what has become a common saying: “You can’t take it with you when you go.” We had nothing when we were born, and when we die, whatever possessions we accumulated will be worthless to us.
• Verse 8: “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” Paul says that we should be satisfied when our basic needs are met. But by nature, we aren’t satisfied having just what we need. There are so many other things that we want.
• Verses 9-10: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

The wording is very strong. If we yearn for money and prosperity, we’ve chosen a harsh master.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary says, “Those who ‘want,’ or are determined (boulomenoi), to be rich fall into temptation and ‘a trap’ . . . and into many desires that are ‘foolish’ (‘senseless’) and ‘harmful’ . . . Wrong desires plunge men into ‘ruin’ . . . and ‘destruction.’”

Referring back to what Jesus said in Matthew 6 about choosing our master, Paul affirms that if we choose to be loyal to money instead of God, it can lead to personal disaster.

Parable of the rich fool

Jesus further emphasized the lesson in a parable recorded in Luke 12. When a man asked Jesus to arbitrate an inheritance dispute between him and his brother, Jesus admonished him to “take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (verses 13-15).

Coveting is prohibited by the 10th Commandment: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17).  

The Hebrew word translated “covet” means “to desire greatly.” An English definition for covet is “to feel strong or immoderate desire for (that which is another’s)” (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition).

To covet means to have excessive and inappropriate desire.

It seems that the dispute was over a sizable inheritance, and a good deal of wealth was at stake. But Jesus warned the man that his life was not defined by his possessions.

Then He offered a parable to illustrate His point (Luke 12:16-21). In the parable of the rich fool, the rich man felt proud and self-sufficient because he was so prosperous that he couldn’t even store all his riches. So, he planned to build more barns to stockpile his fortune.

But because he felt so self-sufficient and proud of his prosperity and ignored God, God called him a fool—and said that he would die that night. Then what good would all his wealth do for him?

The conclusion and lesson of the parable? “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (verse 21).

Money is a harsh master. Life is empty if we put our trust in prosperity. If we make money our top priority (master), we will have nothing at the end of life.

Treasures in heaven

In Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 6, we read the conclusion of the point He was making: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (verse 21).

Our heart represents what we cherish most highly—what is most important in our lives. A treasure is something of significant worth that we protect and store in a safe place.

Physical prosperity is tangible, visible and appealing. It comes in the form of money and what it can buy. But spiritual treasure has far greater, longer-lasting and more secure value—it doesn’t grow old and wear out like possessions and no one can take it from us.

So, what are “treasures in heaven”? And how can we be “rich toward God”?

After warning about the dangers of seeking physical riches, Paul describes the spiritual treasure that we should all seek.

“But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called” (1 Timothy 6:11-12).

The characteristics Paul urges us to pursue are spiritual treasures. These represent the godliness that is great gain (verse 6). By developing these qualities, we “lay up” spiritual treasure (Matthew 6:20) and become “rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

Seek first the Kingdom of God

In Matthew 6:25-33 Jesus teaches that we need to have faith to serve God instead of money. And if we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” He will provide for all of our physical needs.

In contrast to fleeting physical riches, notice how Peter describes our heavenly treasure: “And we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see” (1 Peter 1:4-5, New Living Translation).

The spiritual inheritance God offers is pure, is totally secure and will never change or decay because He preserves it for us at His throne.

It’s important to note that Peter doesn’t say that we are going to go to heaven, but that the inheritance is preserved for us in heaven. And Paul explained that we will receive it when Jesus returns to the earth (2 Timothy 4:8).

Be rich toward God

Wealth and riches are appealing, but Jesus warned that physical treasure is a false god—money is an elusive and harmful master. But if we choose to serve God by the way that we live, we will be “rich toward God” and will store up treasure in heaven.

Learn more about the spiritual treasure of God’s Kingdom and how to receive it in these related articles:

• “Do Not Worry About Your Life.”
• “Where Your Treasure Is.”