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Most of us do not wake up intending to serve money. Yet financial pressures, ambitions, and fears can quietly begin shaping our choices. Before long, money may influence where we find security, how we measure success, and what we believe will bring us peace.

Jesus speaks directly to this danger in Luke 16:13: “You cannot serve God and money.”

Money was never meant to be our master. But when it is placed in its proper role, it can become a useful tool for serving God, caring for our families, and blessing others.

So, what does a biblical approach to money look like?

The Bible speaks frequently about wealth, possessions, generosity, and stewardship. One of its clearest principles is that money is not the goal. It is a resource entrusted to us by God.

Ecclesiastes 5:19 says:

“Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them…this is the gift of God.”

God is not opposed to provision or the appropriate enjoyment of what He provides. His gifts should be received with gratitude rather than guilt.

We see a picture of God’s abundant provision when Jesus feeds the five thousand in Matthew 14. Christ not only meets the immediate needs of the crowd, but the disciples also collect twelve baskets of leftovers. The point is not indulgence or excess. It is that God is a generous provider who delights in caring for His people.

Everything we possess ultimately comes from Him. Recognizing that truth allows us to enjoy His provision without believing we own it independently of Him.

Although money can be a gift, it also carries spiritual significance because it reveals the condition of our hearts.

1 Timothy 6:10 warns that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” Paul does not say that money itself is evil. The danger arises when we love money or look to it for something only God can provide.

Money cannot give us lasting security, establish our identity, or bring genuine peace. When we expect it to do those things, a useful tool begins to take the place of our faithful Provider.

Every financial decision can reveal something about our trust. Our spending may expose what we value. Our saving may show whether we are preparing wisely or attempting to control an uncertain future. Our generosity may reveal whether we believe God will continue to provide.

The question is not simply, “What am I doing with my money?” It is also, “What is my money doing to my heart?”

Ephesians 4:28 gives us a broader vision for our work and resources. Paul instructs believers to work honestly “so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”

We do not earn merely to accumulate. God enables us to work so that we can provide for our responsibilities, prepare wisely for the future, and share with others.

That perspective transforms the purpose of our financial lives.

Work becomes more than survival or personal advancement. It becomes one way we participate in God’s generosity. Saving becomes thoughtful preparation rather than an attempt to eliminate every uncertainty. Investing can become an act of stewardship when it supports future responsibilities and generosity.

This purpose often expresses itself through ordinary decisions: choosing to give even when the budget feels limited, avoiding unnecessary debt, setting aside money for future needs, or creating enough margin to respond when someone needs help.

Those individual choices may feel small, but over time they shape both our finances and our hearts. Money becomes especially useful when it flows outward in service rather than being gathered inward as a source of identity or control.

When Jesus said we cannot serve both God and money, He was establishi

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Notes:

Luke 20
  
1 Thessalonians 4:14 (MSG)
Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.
 
Good parents get involved.
 
God created systems of authority, starting with the family.
 
Exodus 20:12 (NKJV)
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”
 
If you learn to submit to authority, things will go well for you.
 
Because we love our children, we discipline them.
 
“If you raise your children, you’ll get to spoil your grandchildren.
If you spoil your children, you’ll get to raise your grandchildren.”
 
1 Timothy 5:8 (NKJV)
But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
 
Provide: pronoeō
to give careful thought to, take thought for, take into consideration, have regard for,
to think about beforehand in a solicitous manner, care for, provide for someone
 
Teaching your children to honor your authority will naturally lead them to honor the Highest Authority, God Himself.
 
The Vineyard Isn’t Yours
Luke 20
 
Read Luke 20:1–8 (NKJV)
 
The Scene of the Crime
Luke 20:1–8
 
“They knew perfectly well, and they knew perfectly well when they had rejected John’s ministry. That was the trouble with them. God never condemns men for ignorance. God’s judgments are upon men who, having the light, disobey it.”  —G. Campbell Morgan
 
You were created on purpose, and you were created for a purpose.
 
God loves you. He is the ultimate authority.
 
There will come a day when God asks you,
“What did you do with my Son?”
 
Read Luke 20:9–19 (NKJV)
 
Stewards, Not Owners
Luke 20:9–19
 
The Son they wanted to get rid of was the same Son who would rise again from the dead.
 
Psalm 24:1 (NKJV)
The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
 
Job 1:21 (NKJV)
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD."
 
Read Luke 20:20–26 (NKJV)
 
Image Bearers
Luke 20:20–26
 
Luke 20:25 (NKJV)
"Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
 
Genesis 1:27 (NKJV)
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
 
Job 1:21 (NKJV)
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD."
 
“I didn’t thank God that it happened. In fact, I would have given anything to have Christopher back. I would have gladly taken his place. But I wasn’t given that choice. So, I simply said, ‘Lord, he is Yours. I dedicated him to You when he was a little boy, and I dedicate him back to You.’”  —Greg Laurie

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The Question That Changes Everything

We think if we had a nicer car, or a bigger house, or a larger salary, or a new face, or new body, then we’d be content. But Max Lucado says: “The good life begins not when circumstances change but when our attitude toward them does.” 

And writing to the Christians in Philippi, the apostle Paul said, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” (Philippians 4:11–12 NLT).

Paul was in difficult circumstances when he wrote these words. He wasn’t spouting theories from an ivory tower. He was under house arrest, writing from the school of hard knocks. Yet Paul found contentment because he rejoiced in the Lord.

Earlier in Philippians 4, he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" (verse 4 NKJV). He didn’t say that we should rejoice in circumstances. Sometimes that’s hard to do. But Paul did say that we should rejoice in the Lord. Listen in to this episode now for more encouragement!

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Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

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Learn how to discern the voice of God amidst the growing racket of the world.

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