Real freedom is found only in Christ. It does not take long for a believer to discover the consequence of trying to straddle two world-views. In fact, I believe all of us have wanted to proceed up the ladder of Kingdom living while trying to advance up another ladder of our own making. Eventually, such an ascent will be quite painful. You can’t climb two ladders leaning in opposite directions without finding yourself doing a split and getting stuck.
There is no doubt that Jesus delivers. He brings freedom. But, often the freedom bestowed on us by Christ is received while being strapped by the things of this world. For instance, I can come to Christ and be liberated while bound by the suffocating grip of financial debt. The ancient sage rightly proclaimed: “The borrower is slave to the lender” (Prov 22:7). All of this might lead us to ask whether or not the spiritual freedom we believers experience in Christ impacts our temporal reality. The simple truth is that the freedom we have in Christ not only affects our eternity but our here and now.
In Matthew 6 we discover Jesus teaching on Kingdom perspective. Jesus warns that greed, materialism, and worry stem from misplaced worldly priorities. We discover that all of us have been given the ability to choose between two masters. We can either choose God or something else.
What is the “something else?” Jesus chooses money to represent the “something else.” He could have chosen anything we tend to serve – anything to which we bow our knee. But, He chose money. Why? He chose money because money buys things. The emphasis is on the pitfall of placing your faith in money over God.
Therefore, the Bible makes it clear that we cannot serve God and money. Jesus powerfully explained: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt 6:24). The word used for “serve,” in the original Greek, is the word for “slave” (douleuō). A slave can only have one true Lord or master. A slave is to give his master exclusive service. Jesus is making the point crystal clear that a disciple’s loyalties cannot be divided – that is, one is either a slave to God or money (“something else”).
So, does God hate money? Is money bad? The simple truth is that God does not hate money or designate it as bad. Money is morally neutral. By this, I mean money does not have the power to hurt or help apart from the decision of the one who possesses it. Paul instructs his young protégé, Timothy, that it is not money that is evil, but the love of it (1 Tim 6:10). The love of money is not necessarily the desire to have things, but finding one’s worth, security, and strength from money. Such an unhealthy love will drive us to make poor decisions.
As John Wesley explored God’s Word, he came to realize that biblically, a disciple of Christ ought to: “make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.” The Bible actually lays out principles to assist us to live in financial freedom expressed through generous living. We are to serve God, not money. As we serve God, money serves us. Such a life is God’s desire for all of us.
Let’s walk in freedom together, as we trust the Lord to lead us from freedom to greater freedom in our daily living. No area straps Americans more than finances. As we partner with God, living by His financial principles, He will unleash us to live in financial freedom expressed in generous living.