5 June 2014

In God We Trust

"You cannot serve both God and Mammon"

The famous words from Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:24).

Whom do you serve? Do you serve the Lord - the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob? Or do you serve the god called “mammon.” You can only have one God.

We all know the word mammon has something to do with money. But the original word used here (and also in Luke 16:9-11) isn't the common word for money. Instead, Jesus uses an Aramaic word meaning riches... not in fact the name of a god, but in reference to the greedy - those who love wealth so much that it takes the place of God in their lives.

We are called to make good use of any money we are allotted - it's a tool we are given to help others, not just to help ourselves. Jesus reminds us that our wealth does not really belong to us; we are just stewards of it for a short time. You can't take it with you...

'Mammon' implies money that is an end in itself. Rather than provide for your friends and family, followers of mammon would sell out their friends , their family, their country, even their integrity . . . Just for money.

The United States of America was once wise enough to remember to put “In God We Trust” on its money. A useful reminder.

I find it necessary to make a stand here. Anything that I do, I want to use to build up the Kingdom of God, not necessarily my own.

You see, when it comes down to basics - the Lord isn't interested in your skill set; in what you can do for Him; what you can earn for Him. He's looking at one thing - whether you trust Him, put your hope in His unfailing love.

He's not so worried about our abilities; He's more concerned about whether we trust His abilities.

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