Mid-life often brings financial stability: the mortgage is shrinking, the job is steady, and the kids are (mostly) off the payroll. For the first time, income outpaces expenses. And with that comes the quiet creep of comfort: more dinners out, a better car, holidays that don’t involve a tent, and bucket-list retirement plans. Weekends fill with garden projects, furniture purchases, and DIY. Saving and spending become habitual, fostering a growing appetite for more. It’s a far cry from the early days of sacrifice and generosity that marked our walk with Jesus. We rarely pause to ask how much is enough, and even less often hiw this is shaping our spiritual life. Jesus answers this bluntly in his parable of the soils: “The deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mk 4:19).
What we once held with open hands—money, possessions, plans—can slowly wrap around our hearts. Without noticing, we can become like the third soil in Jesus’ parable: choked and fruitless.
Why Is Wealth So Deceptive?
It’s easy to think of money as neutral—a tool for bills, groceries, saving for the future. But wealth is rarely passive. It whispers promises far beyond its function: if I had more, I’d finally be free; this car will prove I’ve made it; wearing that outfit will boost my confidence. Security, significance, satisfaction—wealth promises all three. But it can’t deliver. We look to wealth for our security. We think a healthy bank balance, property and super guarantee our future. Wealth promises significance. Houses, cars, schools, job titles all become badges of worth. And finally, we look to wealth for our satisfaction, thinking that it will finally make us content.[1] But the more we get, the more we want. Only God is able to truly satisfy our deepest desires with himself and give us lasting contentment whatever our circumstances (Phil 4:12–13).
As Mike McKinley puts it:
People will look in any number of places to find deep soul-satisfaction: success, money, entertainment, relationships, sex, family, even religious performance. All of those things can be very good in their proper context, but none of them can bear the weight of our soul’s longing… The problem is not primarily with our desire for satisfaction, but rather where we look for it. It is an expression of our fallen nature that we look for fulfillment in such unsatisfying places.[2]
As the famous actor and comedian Jim Carrey once said: “I think everybody should get rich and famous and [have] everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that that’s not the answer.”[3]
Wealth As a God-Substitute
Jesus is clearer still. In Luke 16 Jesus speaks about money as a rival god to be served, a master competing for our devotion:
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. (Luke 16:3)
Wealth doesn’t just distract us. It competes with God for our trust, love and loyalty. We become like the rich fool, storing up things for ourselves but not generous towards God (Lk 12:13–21). No wonder by mid-life we’ve stopped trusting God to provide our daily bread. We’re no longer challenged by sermons on money and we’ve stopped giving generously. By mid-life wealth is well and truly choking our spiritual growth, causing some to wander from the faith (1 Tim 6:10). So what’s the antidote?
Put Jesus Back in the Centre and Put Wealth in Its Place
Return to the gospel. Rediscover the treasure you first found in Jesus (Matt 13:44). Soak in the “boundless riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8). Ask for his forgiveness for trusting in a false god, for worshipping the gift instead of the Giver.
Put wealth in its place. Jesus tells the story of the shrewd manager (Lk 16:1–15), to reset our perspective. It reminds us that we’re managers of all we have, not the owners. One day we’ll give an account for how we have used God’s resources. Our wealth is for kingdom purposes, to be used generously to serve others and invest in eternity.
Build Rhythms of Generosity
By mid-life we’ve likely developed strong financial habits of saving, spending, upgrading. But generosity doesn’t often make it onto the monthly spreadsheet. Here are some ideas to get started.
As you plan each day ask “How can I give today?”. Think beyond money to also include your time, generous thoughts towards others, and hospitality. Build a giving budget that stretches your dependence on God. Instead of browsing catalogues, research gospel projects to support (here’s one from the mid-north coast of Australia!). Read a book on generosity each year, such as Des Smith’s The Cheerful Giver.
Generosity is one of the clearest barometers of our spiritual life. It reflects how deeply we grasp what God has generously given us. When we truly see the abundance of grace we’ve received in Christ, it reshapes our posture toward giving. We need to rediscover the joy of generosity, as we remember Jesus, the one who, though rich, became poor for our sake, so that through his poverty we might become rich (2 Cor 8:9).
Take Hold Of the Life That Is Truly Life
Paul’s words to Timothy offer a powerful conclusion and a hopeful invitation:
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
Mid-life doesn’t have to be a spiritual plateau. It can be a season of spiritual disruption fresh growth and recommitment to Christ, where we weed out our worries and release our grip on wealth and take hold of something so much better.
This article was first published on Jo’s Substack.
[1] The idea for this framework came from Sophie de Witt’s Compared to Her (2012: The Good Book Company).
[2] McKinley, M. Luke 1-12 for You (2016: The Good Book Company), p. 123.
[3] Source: Jim Carrey speaking with Jay Stone (2005: The Ottawa Citizen).
