Jesus teaches profound realities and pearls of wisdom in the Sermon on the Mount. He shares about the presence and values of the kingdom of God. He, therefore, declares a profound reality. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)
Hear Jesus express the heart our Heavenly Father.
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on…33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:25-33).
RELEVANCE
Mammon is one of the dominating forces of the world. It is a spirit that seeks to dominate our thinking, values and actions. It, therefore, leads us to focus on materialism, excesses, greed and unrighteous worldly gain. It so subtly works to deceive us and entrap us. It can, likewise, so subtly become our god.
Simply put, the word mammon means riches. God isn’t against money. So, He wants us to steward it wisely. He is, however, against the love of money. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). The world places its values on material things money can buy. Our Heavenly Father essentially wants us to value the things money can’t buy– like the knowledge of God, real love and wisdom that brings real joy and peace.
My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.
(Proverbs 2:1-5)
We don’t typically see it, but realities of mammon can show up in many ways. It isn’t always through a continual lust or drive for more money. It can show up if we envy others’ wealth or material things. It is also displayed if we are anxious or worry about potentially unmet needs and unrighteous desires. Even worrying about what we might be losing rather than gaining can indicate mammon is influencing us. Additional fruits of mammon’s dominance is fear, hardheartedness, anger and selfishness.
Truly, our Heavenly Father wants us to prosper. However, He loves us too much to see us dominated in our motivations by loving anything or pursuing anything that finds its root in the love of money or material things. For, He knows how such love makes us susceptible to deception, which comes in subtle ways. Therefore, first and foremost, God wants our soul to prosper. John speaks volumes of wisdom in his simple statement:
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 2)
Yes, God cares about our physical and spiritual welfare. So, He looks first at our heart. Hear Jesus’ profound statement, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
God’s Word and Holy Spirit will steer us towards God’s greatest treasure—our eternal inheritance in Him. His kingdom is filled with many treasures. He looks for us to pursue them “on earth as it is in heaven.”
REFLECT– RELATE – RESPOND
Meditate on the things that bring you the greatest joy in life. What things keep you from experiencing that joy all the time? What things cause you to go down detours, get in ruts, or get entrapped? God purposes for us to experience life “more abundantly.”
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Deuteronomy 28:11-14; Proverbs 2; John 10:10