Money has a way of reaching places in our lives that few other things do. It touches our fears, desires, relationships, priorities, and sense of security.
That may be why Jesus spoke so often about money and possessions. In Matthew 6:21, He says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus understood something we often miss: money issues are often heart issues. Our financial choices can reveal what we trust, what we desire, and ultimately what we treasure.
Money has a way of reaching places in our lives that few other things do. It touches our fears, desires, relationships, priorities, and sense of security.
That may be why Jesus spoke so often about money and possessions. In Matthew 6:21, He says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus understood something we often miss: money issues are often heart issues. Our financial choices can reveal what we trust, what we desire, and ultimately what we treasure.
Materialism Is a Heart Problem
Years ago, Ron Blue once shared a story from his time in Kenya that profoundly shaped the way I think about stewardship.
Ron was sitting on a hillside with a local pastor, looking out over the village where the man lived. Ron asked him what he thought was a practical question: “What’s the greatest barrier to the spread of the gospel here?”
Ron expected to hear about a lack of money, transportation, or other resources.
The pastor didn’t hesitate. “Materialism.”
Ron was stunned. Surely materialism was primarily a Western problem. But the pastor explained that if a man has a mud hut, he wants a stone hut. If he has a thatched roof, he wants a metal one. If he has one cow, he wants two.
That conversation helped Ron recognize an important truth: Materialism isn’t ultimately about how much you have. It’s about what your heart longs for.
If materialism can thrive in a mud hut as easily as in an American suburb, then possessions aren’t the root problem. The heart is.
Money simply has a remarkable ability to expose what is already there.
Money Reveals What We Trust
Money itself is neither moral nor immoral. It is a tool. But because it touches nearly every area of life, the way we handle it can reveal what is happening inside us.
Overspending may reveal a desire for identity, comfort, or approval. Clinging tightly to savings may reveal where we seek ultimate security. Debt can sometimes expose impatience or a desire to live beyond what God has currently provided. Resistance to generosity may reveal a fear that there will not be enough.
In each case, the dollars are secondary. The heart is primary.
The good news is that God cares deeply about our hearts, and He invites us into something better: freedom from fear, comparison, striving, and the belief that everything depends on us.
Over the years, a few biblical truths have become foundational to the way I think about money and stewardship.
1. God Owns It All
Biblical stewardship begins with ownership.
Everything we possess ultimately belongs to God. Our money, possessions, abilities, opportunities, and even the power to produce wealth are gifts entrusted to us for a season.
Recognizing God's ownership changes the question from, “What do I want to do with my money?” to, “God, what would You have me do with what belongs to You?”
When we understand ourselves as stewards rather than owners, we can begin to hold money with greater gratitude, humility, and freedom.
2. God Is Our Provider
Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6 that our heavenly Father feeds the birds and clothes the lilies—and that His children are worth far more.
That doesn’t mean Christians will never face financial difficulty or uncertainty. It does mean our ultimate confidence is not found in a paycheck, investment account, or emergency fund.
Wise planning matters. Saving matters. Working diligently matters. But none of those things were designed to carry the weight of our ultimate security.
God is our provider.
As that truth moves from something we know intellectually to something we believe deeply, fear begins to loosen its grip.
3. Money Is a Tool, Not a Treasure
Money is useful, but it makes a terrible master.
It was never meant to provide our identity, significance, or ultimate security. Instead, money can become a tool for accomplishing good purposes—providing for our families, meeting needs, blessing others, supporting gospel work, and practicing generosity.
The problem begins when the tool becomes the treasure. Jesus calls us to something infinitely greater: to treasure Him above everything money can provide.
When Christ becomes our ultimate treasure, money can return to its proper place.
4. Financial Decisions Can Become Acts of Worship
Stewardship is about far more than giving.
Every spending decision, saving goal, act of generosity, and financial plan gives us another opportunity to ask, “Lord, how can I honor You with what You’ve entrusted to me?”
That changes the way we approach money.
Instead of treating our finances as an isolated part of life, we begin to see them as part of our discipleship. Spending can reflect gratitude and contentment. Saving can demonstrate wisdom and preparation. Giving can express love and trust. Planning can help us faithfully fulfill our responsibilities.
Money stops competing for the throne of our hearts and becomes a tool we can place in God's hands.
We wrote it to help Christians work through foundational biblical principles of money and consider how those truths shape everyday financial decisions.
Our hope is that as you walk through the devotional, you’ll experience God’s peace growing where fear once lived, contentment replacing comparison, and generosity overcoming the instinct toward self-protection.
In the end, money will always reveal what we treasure most. And when Christ is our ultimate treasure, we discover a freedom and security that no amount of money could ever provide.
On Today’s Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:
I inherited land from my parents’ trust in 2003 and sold it in 2025. I’m now facing a larger-than-expected capital gains tax bill. Does the inheritance tax exemption apply to the sale proceeds, or only to the property’s value when I inherited it?
I’m considering tapping my home equity. How does a traditional HELOC compare with newer home equity-sharing arrangements, and what are the pros and cons of each?
Are there policies that combine life insurance with long-term care benefits? And can those products also include an investment component, or would investing need to be handled separately?
Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every weekday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God’s resources.
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