In a culture that celebrates financial independence, ambitious career goals and material success, the pursuit of a stable and wealthy lifestyle has become very attractive to young adults preparing to step out into the world. While financial responsibility is biblical and wise, the pursuit of wealth can become a heavy burden if it overshadows God’s invitation to rest and contentment.
So how do we find peace in a world that pressures us to chase riches?
Jesus offers a counter-cultural choice in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. … You cannot serve God and money.” This choice is not a rejection of hard work or wise planning but rather a reordering of priorities. The real decision is between centering our lives on God or on the accumulation of wealth and security.
The apostle Paul echoes this in 1 Timothy 6:6: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Wealth itself cannot offer peace, but the posture of contentment rooted in godliness can. Wealth can be a gift, yet it becomes a poor god when we look to it for security.
There is nothing wrong with working toward stability or pursuing excellence. Indeed, Scripture honors diligence and planning. When the quest for financial security becomes obsessive, fear-driven or identity-defining, it no longer honors the Lord.
In our endlessly connected culture, it’s easy to compare ourselves with friends who have high-paying internships or booming startups, which only breeds anxiety and self-doubt. The weariness of overwork creeps in when we pile on long hours, multiple jobs and constant striving under the banner of financial security, only to find ourselves disconnected from rest, relationships and worship.
When our identity becomes dangerously tethered to what we can earn or achieve, a rejected internship, an unexpected bill or a dip in savings feels like an identity-level failure rather than a momentary setback.
Relationships, rest and faith — all foundational to human flourishing — are often the first casualties when we chase status through money. Tragically, despite all this effort, chasing wealth alone rarely delivers peace.
A more restful approach begins with reexamining our vision of stewardship. We recognize that money is not the end, but a tool; everything we have comes from God, belongs to God and is to be used for his purposes, not solely for our comfort or status.
Stewardship, in this frame, looks like planning, saving and giving — but as acts of trust rather than fear, giving rather than hoarding and gratitude rather than striving. True rest doesn’t mean neglecting finances; it means integrating them within rhythms of faith, trust and generosity.
Dashhouse notes, “Your heart follows your treasure. … Holding money as a treasure will shape your heart and the direction of your life.”
Peace does not come from having everything figured out. It comes from entrusting the uncertainties to a God who sees, who knows, who provides. We’re invited not into a life of frantic striving but into one of Spirit-led trust and steady stewardship.
So what might peace look like? It looks like pausing to thank God when anxiety rears its head. It looks like practicing generosity even when we feel stretched to our limit. It looks like setting boundaries so ministry, friendships and Sabbath matter more than an income or career. It looks like seeking to steward your finances, not at the cost of dependence on the Lord.
True rest doesn’t come from a padded savings account or a well-strategized budget, but rest stems from a heart satisfied in God’s provision, even when the numbers in the bank aren’t what we wish.
Ultimately, peace is not found in what we own but in who owns us. Money becomes a tool, and God remains our provider. As we release control, align our finances with his mission and embrace contentment in every season, we begin to experience the rest for our souls that only God gives, which no paycheck can provide.
In the end, the call is simple: don’t chase riches at the cost of your peace. Chase Jesus and let him lead your finances, your future and your rest.
Clardy is an intern for the Liberty Champion.