Is money my servant or my master?

You probably noticed it was the Budget this week. The Chancellor makes headlines every March, holding up his red despatch box, promising us better times ahead.

The saying goes: money makes the world go round. Actually, as a Christian, I would give that honour to God, who created the cosmos in the first place.

The best any Chancellor can do is tweak the balance: a new rule here, a tax-break there. The financial system itself seems to be beyond the scope of one man or one government to control, it has a life of its own. And it does not always work in our favour.

Here’s another saying: ‘money makes an excellent servant, but a terrible master.’ I wonder how you and I view money, or experience its effects?

The Sheffield city region has never been particularly wealthy, but perhaps we are rich in other ways which make life more pleasurable. Like our strength of community. Our solidarity with honest workers. Or how we say hello to people on the bus or smile at folk in the street. Don’t take that for granted, especially if you’ve ever lived in London!

You might be surprised to learn that in the Bible, Jesus spoke more about money than anything else. There are 2350 lines about money, 500 on faith, 500 on prayer. Money is never presented as wrong. The issue is how you handle it, and what you do with it. Attitude matters.

In England for generations, probably since WW2, we have been defined by an attitude of poverty and lack. People genuinely believe they don’t have enough. Occasionally, I meet self-made people who believe that everything they have is their own to keep. The message of Jesus is a challenge to both.

“A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke’s Gospel chapter 12).

Nobody is really self-sufficient, or so poor that we have no hope or no source of help. We all rely on others. To those with some capital reserves, Jesus calls them to invest their resource for the good of others. To the financially poor, Jesus encourages them to shift their dependency to God, when they feel their destiny is dependent on others’ rules or decisions.

It begs the question: what am I investing towards, with all that I have in life? Is money my servant or my master?