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.”
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.” (Luke 16:10-15 NIV)
I enjoy college basketball, particularly played by a certain team in eastern Kansas known as the Jayhawks, one of the “blue blood” programs in the college ranks. I have been a fan for more than 30 years, having served on the KU campus for more than 20. So it was with much interest that I read stories recently of the FBI’s investigation into the corrupt relationship between college coaches and the athletic apparel company, Adidas. Could KU coaches and their highly esteemed program be implicated? I am hoping not, but, honestly, I won’t be surprised if it happens.
Money is powerful. So much so that Jesus says if we are drawn to worship it, giving it supreme value, then it prevents us from worshiping God. It is something of which we need to approach warily and be on our guard. The evidence is everywhere. Governments around the world face the challenges of corruption. Corporate America is governed often by greed and the lust for more and more profit, not only by its high-level employees, but also by the investors in their companies. School sports, down to the elementary school level, are no longer about developing kids’ characters, but more and more about the money that can be made, through travel teams, clinics, and specialty coaching. What is driving this? Money. Money for organizers’ and agents’ pockets, and for parents who obsess about college scholarships and big payoffs for their tireless efforts to develop their child’s athletic potential.
It is no coincidence that many Christian parents are absent at church services on Sundays, because of their kids’ sports schedules. Many games and tournaments are played on Sunday mornings. They may contend that money has no hold on them, but the shift in priorities could not be more obvious.
Sports, however, is merely one example, and probably one of the lesser ones in terms of money’s influence in our lives. For all of us, money offers the temptation to be our provider for the things we both need and want. Rather than a means by which God provides for us, it becomes in our minds the source for our security and pleasures. So we are reluctant to give it away to anything that doesn’t promise to meet a need or want. For example, last week our church youth group held a fundraiser and I wanted to give something to their cause. I opened my wallet and found a twenty and a one-dollar bill, and I felt money’s pull. I was honestly hoping to see a five because I was willing to part with that much, but that twenty wanted to remain in my control and I wanted to control it.
That is the power of money. When we are called to part with some of it, or most of it, can we resist its pull and let it go? Can we give 10 or 20 percent of our income as a tithe? Can we let go of money we have saved for something we want in order to respond to the leading of the Spirit to give it to meet a need? When these questions are asked, then the truth of our Lord’s proclamation becomes clear. Last Sunday, I was tempted to value my money more than God. I wanted to keep it; He wanted me to give it away. The end result? I pulled out the twenty and put it in the basket. I chose at that moment to worship God rather than money.
Today, recognize the pull money can have in your life, whether you have a lot of it or not much at all. If you believe it is the provider for your needs and wants, you will pursue it and hold onto it. And you will choose it over God every time. Instead, realize the Lord is your Provider and He will take care of your needs and many of your wants. Then you can hold onto money with a loose grip, knowing that even if you give it away, you will always have enough of what you need.
© Jim Musser 2017
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