Everyone has a price. That may sound cynical, but history and Scripture both confirm it. For some, the price is money. For others, it’s status, comfort, or security. But sooner or later, every person faces the test: What’s your price?
In financial stewardship, this question is unavoidable. Will we stay faithful to God when obedience costs us something? Or will we compromise when the price feels too high?
Judas and Thirty Pieces of Silver
The most infamous example in Scripture comes from Judas Iscariot. For three years he walked with Jesus, witnessed miracles, and heard words of eternal life. Yet when the opportunity came, Judas betrayed the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–15).
Thirty pieces of silver wasn’t a fortune. It was the going rate for a common slave. But it was Judas’ price. In that moment, money mattered more than Messiah.
It’s easy to condemn Judas, but the truth is sobering: compromise often comes cheaply. Rarely does the enemy tempt us with a massive sellout. More often, he whispers small bargains—an overlooked conviction here, a rationalized choice there—until faithfulness erodes.
Modern Compromises
You may not betray Christ for coins, but compromise still knocks at your door.
- In Spending: Do you compromise biblical priorities by overspending for comfort or status?
- In Saving: Do you compromise trust in God by hoarding wealth instead of holding it loosely?
- In Investing: Do you compromise convictions by profiting from companies that exploit, oppress, or promote what God calls sin?
- In Generosity: Do you compromise obedience by withholding giving because fear says, “You can’t afford it”?
Compromise doesn’t always scream rebellion—it often whispers convenience.
The Hidden Cost of Compromise
Here’s the thing: compromise always costs more than it promises.
- It costs credibility. When we claim faith in God but compromise with our money, the watching world notices.
- It costs peace. Compromise may quiet the tension for a moment, but guilt and dissonance soon follow.
- It costs impact. Every dollar invested or spent in compromise fuels what we should be resisting in prayer.
- It costs intimacy with God. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). When money dictates our decisions, it displaces Him from the throne of our hearts.
What looked like a small compromise becomes a heavy chain.
Daniel’s Example: No Price Too High
Contrast Judas with Daniel.
When Babylon offered him the king’s food and wine—symbols of assimilation and compromise—Daniel refused. “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). Later, when commanded to stop praying to God, Daniel chose the lions’ den over compromise (Daniel 6).
Daniel had no price. His faithfulness was not for sale. And God honored him with influence, protection, and legacy.
Daniel’s story reminds us: the cost of faithfulness may be high, but the reward of obedience is higher.
My Own Price
I’ll be honest—there was a time when my price was comfort. I compromised in subtle ways, making financial decisions that looked successful on the outside but were compromised on the inside. I told myself, “It’s not that bad. Everyone does it. I’ll fix it later.”
But compromise piled up, and eventually it cost me. Losing my dream house wasn’t just a financial blow—it was a wake-up call. God used that loss to show me how cheaply I had sold my convictions.
It was painful, but it was also freeing. Because in losing what I thought was mine, I rediscovered what was truly priceless: obedience to God.
Counting the Cost
Jesus warned His followers to count the cost of discipleship: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
Following Jesus with your money will cost something. It may cost convenience, profits, or opportunities. But compromise costs more. The question isn’t whether there’s a price—it’s whether you’ll pay it in faithfulness or compromise.
Ask yourself:
- What price would tempt me to bend my convictions?
- Where am I most vulnerable to financial compromise?
- What would it look like to draw a line, as Daniel did, and say, “I will not defile myself”?
A Real-Life Story: The Investor Who Walked Away
I once spoke with a Christian business owner who discovered his investment portfolio included companies profiting from pornography and abortion. He was shocked. “I had no idea,” he said.
When I explained how Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) works, he faced a decision: stay with the portfolio and profit from compromise, or walk away and realign his investments with his faith.
He chose to walk away. It wasn’t easy—he worried about performance and what others might think. But later, he told me, “For the first time in years, I have peace. My money is no longer working against my prayers.”
That’s what happens when we refuse to compromise: peace replaces guilt, conviction replaces confusion, and testimony replaces silence.
Living in the Assurance of God’s Reward
Faithfulness may be costly, but compromise is deadly. The good news is this: when we choose faithfulness, God is faithful to honor it.
Jesus promised in Mark 10:29–30 that those who sacrifice for Him will receive blessing both in this life and in eternity. Daniel’s reward wasn’t just survival—it was influence. The widow’s reward wasn’t just giving—it was eternal commendation (Mark 12:41–44).
Your faithfulness with money may never make headlines, but it makes heaven’s records. And no sacrifice for God ever goes unnoticed.
What I Want You to Remember
- Everyone has a price—the question is whether yours leads to compromise or conviction.
- Compromise costs more than it promises: credibility, peace, impact, and intimacy with God.
- Daniel’s example shows us that faithfulness, even under pressure, brings eternal reward.
- God redeems our past compromises and empowers us to stand firm today.
The world will keep asking, “What’s your price?” But for those redeemed in Christ, the answer is simple: “My life, my money, my everything—it’s not for sale. It belongs to God.”