Most of us are familiar with the verse, "You cannot serve both God and Money." (from Matt 6:24; Luke 16:13)

I confess that for me, the concept appeared so elementary that I failed to medidate on it.  I say "appeared easy" because just recently, God allowed me to glean more from this verse than I had for the past 37 years.

It is easy to understand and visualize a practical application of "serv[ing] God" aspect of the verse.  But how does one understand what "serv[ing] Money?" (or NOT serving money?) means?

Obviously, the way we understand and apply the verse, "serving God" has to apply equally to the "serving Money" aspect of the verse.

So, when Jesus says, "You cannot serve both God and Money," He is not talking about "serving" as "doing things for" God - how do you do things for Money then?

Borrowing from John Piper (What Jesus Demands from the World; Demand #35):
"The answer is not: Provide a service for money.  Or provide help to money, or meet money's needs.  Just the opposite: Serving money means looking to money to provide you a service and to provide your help and meet your needs.  Serving money means planning and dreaming and strategizing and maneuvering to be in a position to maximize our wealth and what money can provide for us.  Money is the giver and the benefactor in this servant-master relationship.  You don't do good for money.  You look to money to do good for you."

Simiarly:

"[W]hat Jesus is saying [when He says that we serve God in the subject verse] is that we should serve God not in the sense of providing a service or giving Him help, but just the opposite:  We look to God to be our helper, our benefactor, and trasure.  To serve Him would be to plan and dream and strategize and maneuver to be in a position to maximize our enjoyment of God and what He alone promises to be for us.  God, then not money, becomes the giver and the benefactor in this servant-master relationship.  You don't meet God's needs (he has none!).  You look to God to meet yours."

This command goes hand in hand with the first commandment of the Ten Commandments - "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exod. 20:3)

So, it becomes clear why Jesus left no ambiguity when He was saying that You will hate the one [money/God] and love the other[God/money]. 

In our materialistic world, Money is our master.
Advertisements promise that if you are stressed/tired/unhappy, this dream/magic vacation/spa treatment/shopping spree/or whatever money can buy will make a happier you.  If you are not happy with the way you look, get a surgery.  You deserve better: Buy this car/house/furniture/gadgets.

I'm not saying that we should not plan vacation getaways or buy things with your money.  But what we should to is to examine and re-examine our hearts daily to see if our source of happiness/satisfaction/joy is coming from God and what He alone promises to be for us; or from happiness/satisfaction/joy coming from what money can buy/provide. 

I hope we endeavor to fight for the former, every moment, everywhere.
God bless you.