Money Talks - Present Peace
Ryan Scott Carrell - October 12, 2025
Luke 16:13 (NIV)
13 “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.”
We all need money to live. We need it for the food we eat. We need it to keep a roof over our heads. We need it to participate in daily life in any kind of normal way. Jesus knew that, and his followers knew that. So when Jesus said these words to his followers, he wasn't trying to get them to live free of money. What he was trying to get them to live free of its control. And the reason for this is because Jesus knew something about money that a lot of us try to ignore: money is spiritual. It's more than utilitarian. Money, and what it can buy, has the ability to cause us to experience fear, to feel joy, and to be prideful. Money can make us feel guilt or shame. It can be used for incredible harm, or it can be used for incredible good. And that's exactly why Jesus said what he said.
When something has that much spiritual and emotional power over you, it's not neutral. It has the power to impact our choices in ways few things can. And that matters for all of us because three things are true for every person sitting in this room or listening to this teaching.
1. We all want to feel peace in our present financial circumstances.
2. We all want to feel financially secure with our future hopes and dreams.
3. We all want to give, to the best of our ability, to support our church.
When any of those three things aren't happening in our lives, we feel out of balance, and that’s where anxiety, shame, and guilt come from. None of us like feeling broke, none of us want to worry about being broke, and none of us want our church to be broke. What we can’t do is wait around for someone else to address those needs. And we don’t have to.
You see, when Jesus said you can’t serve both God and money, he wasn’t just telling us something we can’t do. He was offering an invitation to see money in an entirely different way. Because while you may not be able to serve both God and money, your money can serve both you and God. And when money is in that proper place, we’re able to invest in our shared mission, feel secure about our future hopes and dreams, and experience peace in our present financial circumstances. And that present peace is where we’re going to start today.
If we’re honest, we can admit that our present financial situation has a domino effect on our saving and our giving, and a lot of us aren’t feeling present peace. Inflation, medical debt, and good old-fashioned economic uncertainty are making many of us anxious. But Jesus addressed that anxiety.
Luke 12:22-30 (NIV)
22…Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Jesus’s audience knew financial anxiety. Many of them lived with the daily anxiety of being worried about where their next meal would come from, let alone the meal after that. This is where we get the term our daily bread. Because of this, it was easy to look at the lavish lifestyles of the people who seemingly didn’t have to worry like this and want to live like them. The birds, flowers, and grass were a direct contrast to the people whose wealth was evident in fancy clothes, lavish banquets, and comfortable homes. Yet, Jesus cautioned against the temptation of wanting to live like these people who run after such things. And the reason for this is that Jesus wants his followers to see that these people have traded one kind of anxiety for another. Jesus said they spend all their time running after these things, an endless race to achieve more. The picture looks a lot like how we would describe someone on a treadmill, constantly running and going nowhere, which is exactly how researchers and psychologists talk about this kind of mentality today.
Research on income satisfaction consistently shows that no matter what people earn, whether it's $30,000 or $300,000, they always feel that they need more. As income rises, the appetite for more doesn’t, with expectations, desires, and spending rising right along with the increase, which results in no permanent gain in satisfaction. Let me tell you about an incredible picture of this treadmill.
Jeff Bezos recently bought a house in Miami for $90 million to live in while he tears down the other houses he paid $147 million for just so he can build one even bigger house. It’s not hard to argue the obscene excess on display, but, rather than just point fingers, we have to admit that the system of consumerism is to blame. Bezos’ dissatisfaction was paid for with a culture of dissatisfaction and retail therapy. We don’t have to be Jeff Bezos to be just like Jeff Bezos, and that’s exactly the thing Jesus was warning about. But rather than just warn us to avoid this treadmill that steals all our energy, he tells us why and gives us a better way to live.
Luke 12:29-31 (NIV)
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Jesus isn’t saying that we should avoid the grocery store. He isn’t telling you that you can’t go out to dinner or make a stop at Starbucks. He is saying that when what we have to eat or drink, or what we drive, or where we live, becomes the obsession, we trade one kind of anxiety for another, and rob ourselves of the present peace that God wants to give us. This isn't spiritual advice ignoring practical needs; this is practical advice that starts with spiritual priority. Then, Jesus gives detailed advice for those who are struggling to put his words into practice.
Luke 12:33 (NIV)
33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
Jesus isn’t teaching poverty here. He’s teaching priority. He’s not telling people to get rid of everything they own. He’s saying if you're struggling to shift your mindset, here’s how to do it. It’s a challenge to put his words into practice. Start living with open hands instead of a clenched fist, and the anxiety that you had before will be replaced with a peace you didn’t know could exist. You can have present peace in your heart, but only if you’re seeking the right thing. Jesus said it like this:
Luke 12:34 (NIV)
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Here’s what’s fascinating about this. We can measure our treasure today in ways the ancient people never could. I can open up my phone, my credit card statement, or my bank account, and they will tell me exactly what my treasure is. So, the question isn’t if we have the ability to assess our financial priorities; it’s if we have the willpower to do it. But here is what I think would happen if we did. We’d gain clarity. Not shame. Not guilt. Clarity. Anxiety is only seeing where you're not. Clarity is seeing where you are, so you can see where you want to go.
Now, clarity can’t promise to fix things outside of our control. We can’t do anything about inflation, medical debt, or economic uncertainty. But we can’t allow those things to stop us from seeing what God wants for our lives. Being honest with ourselves and having clarity in our finances pulls us off the treadmill and onto a path of peace where our money can start to serve what we claim we value.
Anxiety is only seeing where you're not. Clarity is seeing where you are so you can see where you want to go. We’ve created a tool on to help you gain clarity in your present financial circumstances and onto a path of peace. You’ll find this tool, and additional resources, at the link below.
