What Makes You HappySample

Give, Save, and Live on the Rest

You’ve probably heard that money won’t make you happy. But let’s be honest—you think it will. Or you’d at least like to find out first-hand.

The truth is that there is a connection between happiness and money. Most of us think the connection is the word more. If I had more money, I would be happier. But how much more money would it take to make you happy? No matter how much you have, your answer will always be the same: more than you currently have.

The connection between happiness and money isn’t more; it’s manage. It’s not how much you have, but how you manage what you have that determines whether you’re going to be happy. In other words, money can contribute to your happiness if you manage it well.

Today’s passage captures the bottom line of Jesus’ teaching about money. According to him, the best way to manage it is to make sure it isn’t managing you.

When your focus is on more as it relates to your money—earning more, saving more, buying more—money is your “master.” Jesus offers an alternative: Let God be the master of your money. 

What does that look like? The answer is just three words: give, save, live. To manage your money God’s way—the way that will ultimately make you happy—give some of it away first, save some of it second, and live on the rest. Giving will bring you joy, saving will bring you peace, and living on the rest will bring you freedom. You know what won’t bring you joy, peace, or freedom? Three different words: discontentment, debt, and greed. 

Money contributes to your happiness when you and if you manage it well. So, pray this today: God, I don’t want my stuff and my money to manage me. I want you to manage me and teach me how to manage my money.