Which Will You Serve: God or Money?

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Better Together

Which Will You Serve: God or Money? By Rick Warren — Jun 4, 2015 “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? It’s like 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 Christmas 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. God says 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 have your kids watch 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 be number one. 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 To what part of your finances have you become a slave? How can you model generosity and humility at the same time to your kids? In what ways has God been generous with you? Our Gift: 40 Days of Community Devotional We all have a longing for belonging! In fact, many of the purposes God has for your life can only be fulfilled if you work together with other Christians. This is why Pastor Rick wants to help you develop deeper, more meaningful relationships and the reason he created the 40 Days of Community Devotional Book. If you devote just a few moments a day, this book will take you on a transformational 40 day journey that will help you take your relationships to the next level and enable you to fulfill all of God’s purposes for your life. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Better Together teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: Why We Need Each Other Message 2: Reaching Out Together Message 3: What Destroys Relationships and What Builds Them Message 4: How We Help Each Other Message 5: Serving Together Message 6: Living a Generous Life PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe