“…For you are a slave to whatever controls you.” 2 Peter 2:19 NLT
Have you ever been so hungry it made you hangry? When your stomach is growling and your blood sugar is low, the intense need for food controls your emotions. It causes you to become angry.
Or maybe you’ve heard the phrase “mama bear”? It implies that a mother’s love for her child is so strong that she would fight off anyone who messes with him or her. The intense love a mother feels for her child controls her actions toward anyone who may harm that child.
Just like hunger makes us angry or an intense love makes us feel like fighting, money can control our actions too. We can be greedy, frivolous, wise or generous. We can also feel burdened or at peace.
Reflect on your daily thoughts and actions. Are you working as many hours as possible to earn a few extra dollars? Do you feel the need to buy more stuff in order to be liked by others? Are you trying to fill up your bank account to achieve a sense of worth or security?
The desire for more money or more stuff controls our actions. On the outside, it looks like us working more hours, spending more money or striving to gain approval. It can be exhausting to live this way. The good news is there is a better, more life-giving way to live.
Instead of being driven by money, allow God to be your motivator. When your love for God controls your actions, things start to change. Loving God and believing in His word enables you to see and experience His provision. Philippians 4:19 reminds us of this, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (NLT).
In turn, you begin finding that your worth is not in the physical things you own, but it’s found simply in knowing that God loves you and created you with purpose. It says so in Psalm 139:17, NLT, “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!” And also in Psalm 139.
Slowly, you begin to understand that the love of God is completely unconditional, which means your actions or possessions do not impact whether or not He loves you. The Bible tells us this in Romans 8:38-39, NIV, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
If you feel like your actions are controlled by money, ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you need help. Reflect on the verses above and see how God will use His truth and unconditional love to show you His provision. There is immense freedom in knowing and believing that God is the source of not only your worth, but also your financial needs.
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Luke 16:13, NIV
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on tableofriches.wordpress.com.
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