Which Will You Serve: God or Money?

by Rick Warren — August 12, 2023
From Better Together

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Matthew 6:24 (NIV)

Would you agree that we live in a culture of materialism? The goal is to get more and more and more. And just about the time you catch up with the Joneses, they refinance or file bankruptcy. And just about the time you think you’ve got it all, the Black Friday advertisements come out, and they tell you about all kinds of things you didn’t know you couldn’t live without. 

It’s tough keeping your priorities right when you live in a society that’s all about “getting.” The one with the most toys wins, right? No! The one with the most toys still dies, whether or not you’ve got toys.

There is only one antidote to materialism: generosity. Every time you’re generous, you have a spiritual victory in your heart. Every time you’re generous, your heart grows. Every time you’re generous, you break the grip of materialism in your life. Why? Because materialism is all about getting—get, get, get, get! It is your nature to get and to hold on.

But every time you’re generous, you are breaking that grip and defeating materialism in your life. 

By the way, that’s why, if you’re a parent, you need to make sure your kids see you giving. They need to see you being generous because they’re not going to learn it anywhere else. Make sure they see you model generosity so that they can learn it too.

The Bible says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (NIV). Notice it doesn’t say you “should not.” It says you “cannot.” It’s impossible. You can’t have two number ones in your life. 

You have to choose what’s going to have first place in your heart. Choose generosity. It will transform your relationships with other people and your relationship with God. It will change you from the inside out as you learn to be generous like God is generous with you.

Talk It Over

  • What part of your finances have taken control of your life? How does your perspective change when you consider that money has power over you and you are serving it—instead of the other way around?
  • How can you simultaneously model both generosity and humility to your kids?
  • In what ways has God been generous with you? Be specific.

Where will you spend eternity?

Your sins separate you from God. And it is only God’s grace that allows you back into a right relationship with him.

The Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

If you’re ready to make peace with your Creator, then pray this prayer:

“Dear Jesus, I don’t want my sin to separate me from you any longer. You have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day.

“I confess my sin, and I believe you are my Savior. You have promised that if I confess my sin and trust you, I will be saved. I believe you when you say salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today, I’m turning over every part of my life to your management.

“I want to live the way you created me to live and use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at [email protected] and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.


Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.