(Matthew 6:19-24) "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth currupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. One of America's problems in today's society is materialism. We're one of the most materialistic societies in this world. In the last half century, our world has invented more gadgets and more goods to purchase than ever before in the history of mankind. However, there's nothing wrong with material wealth in and of itself. However, when material wealth becomes an object of our worship, then that's where our priorities are misguided. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 that no man can serve two masters. Man cannot serve both God and mammon. Man will either serve one or the other. Or man will will either love one or hate the other or vice versa. We can't grant our full devotion to both God and to the riches of this world.
I was looking up the word "mammon" in Webster's dictionary and here is the definition for it: Riches regarded as an object of worship and greedy pursuit. God's saying we can't serve both God and riches. God's not suggesting that it's sinful to possess earthly goods. However, the problem lies when our wealth becomes an object of our worship. Are we satisfied with what we have? Do we need more? Can we make due on less if necessary? Do we devote our time and money working so we can further pursue extra goods or extra "adult" toys? Does our whole life revolve around obtaining more and more riches? When we allow our lives to be built around obtaining more and more riches, then we're a slave to riches. God doesn't want our lives to revolve around the pursuit wealth? Our life should revolve around serving the Lord. There are people that miss the House of God on Sunday because their whole world is built around obtaining more and more riches. And in order to obtain more wealth, they must be willing to sacrifice time to work in order to achieve their fleshly desires. There have been couples that have children where both work a full-time job in order to possess earthly goods. There have been parents that have placed their young children in daycare to serve the gods of materialism. However, I do recognize in today's society with the economic stress we're under many couples must work to pay their bills. I fully understand that. It's about come to the point unless both couples work a public job, they won't be able to pay their bills. I sympathize for those kinds of couples. However, when it comes to our responsibilities to God, our families, and the church, we should not allow the pursuit of riches prevent us from fulfilling our responsibilities in those areas.
Matthew tells us we can know where our heart is by where we invest our treasures. If you invest all your time and money into purchasing the goods of this world, then that reveals our heart loves mammon. However, if we'll invest our money, time, and talents into the Kingdom of God, then that is a sign that our heart's toward Godly things. There are many things people will invest their money and time in. Some people invest their money into sports, houses, cars, boats, and the list continues. There are some people that are enslaved to their appetites. They love food. They'll invest their money in appeasing the middle section of the body. I can say this because this is an area where I have a major problem with. I know this truth too well. That's why this nation has an obesity epidemic. That's why many of our health experts are focused on reducing obesity from childhood to adulthood. There are so many areas where we can invest our money. However, the Bible plainly tells us where our treasure is that's where our heart will be. Whatever you love the most you'll invest most of your money into.
I've heard the old statement, "Nobody's going to tell me what to do. I am my own person and I'll do what I feel like doing whenever I feel like doing it." They're saying they're independent. They think they serve themselves. The truth of the matter is this: Everybody serves a master. Some people are blind and don't knowingly understand that they do. We all serve a master. We who are saved either serve Jehovah God or we've allowed ourselves to be enslaved to mammon. Lost people serve a master as well. If it was true we were independent and didn't serve nobody but ourselves, then why do we fall prey to our fleshly impulses? Why can't a person who drinks liquor stop drinking anytime he so desires? Why can't a smoker put down those cigarettes anytime he's ready? Why is it so difficult for an obese person to moderate their food intake and stop the practice of gluttony? It's because we're not our own master. We're a slave to our passions. It happens all the time. Ask Tiger Woods. If he will be honest with you, he'll admit he's a slave to his sexual passions. Nobody is that independent. We're going to serve a master.
We have two choices to make when it comes to serving a master: either we will serve God or we will serve the world. We can't serve both. If we're a slave to mammom, then we're a slave to a terrible master. The Bible says the eye of man is never satisfied. Man always must obtain more and more of whatever the world has to offer to satisfy us. The world never does satisfy. However, Jesus told the woman of Samaria in John 4:14 that if you drink of the living water you will never thirst. There will be a well of water springing up into everlasting life. What the world has to offer will never satisfy you. But if you place your trust and faith in Jesus as Saviour and Lord and follow him you will be satisfied. The price you'll have to pay will be to serve him. If you serve Jesus and place your priorities in their proper order, you won't abandon your spouse and your children in doing so. However, if you serve the gods of this world, then you'll pay a terrible price. Not only will you suffer for serving mammon, but your family will be deprived of your time and attention. When you're a slave to riches, you'll do whatever it takes to obtain them even if it means abandoning God and your family. Serving mammon will cost you far more than you'll want to pay. There have been many people that have devoted their lives to riches. There's been couples that have grown old and have said they wished they devoted more time to their families than to obtaining wealth. Joshua 24:15 says to choose ye this day whom ye will serve. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Purpose in your heart to make the right choice to serve the Lord. You'll never regret it. However, if you devote your life to serving riches, you'll be of all people the most miserable in the end.
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