After mammon blinds people and has people under his control, his then seeks to make them feel dissatisfied. People under the spirit of mammon cannot feel satisfied with anything. The more they have, the more they desire. This is because mammon feeds on the flesh, to increase its desires for the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. The person controlled by mammon is in bondage to him. To be in bondage to mammon is to serve mammon. To be in bondage to mammon is to idolise him ultimately through a failure to put God first. Thus, even the slightest failure to put God first is to idolise mammon. Such is to serve mammon.
Serving mammon is done as long as one does not serve God wholeheartedly. As long as one's heart is divided in serving God, one is serving mammon. 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 (Matthew 6:24). As long as one seeks to look back to earthly things even with the slightest desire, one is serving mammon and hating God. No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). There is no argument, and neither can there be an argument about this. Anyone who seeks to argue against this is really rebelling against God because these are Jesus' words, not my words.
After telling the rich young ruler to sell all he had, Jesus turned to His disciples, warning them about how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:23-24). This is a warning about the danger that riches pose to the soul. It is impossible, not improbable, or merely difficult but possible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, but impossible. Therefore, Jesus was saying it impossible for a rich man to end the Kingdom of God on his own because of riches.
Without Jesus Christ, one can only pursue earthly things, whether it be wealth, status, power, prestige, health, education, relationships or family - absolutely anything that replaces God or causes one to stop seeking after God. The Bible makes it clear that no one seeks after God, So, people will seek after anything in the world, no matter what harm, hurt or heartache it may cost, except for God. This explains why people, despite knowing that chasing all these things leads to emptiness pursue such things. It is because they cool the flesh, and puff up one's pride.
Mammon feeds on the desire to gain and enjoy more earthly things, to increase the appetite of the flesh for such things that have no eternal value. This leads to dissatisfaction that results from not being able to achieve or attain one's earthly desires. Covetousness, envy and jealousy follows because one's flesh is not satisfied. Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not (James 4:2).
Serving mammon is done as long as one does not serve God wholeheartedly. As long as one's heart is divided in serving God, one is serving mammon. 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 (Matthew 6:24). As long as one seeks to look back to earthly things even with the slightest desire, one is serving mammon and hating God. No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). There is no argument, and neither can there be an argument about this. Anyone who seeks to argue against this is really rebelling against God because these are Jesus' words, not my words.
It is very simply. As long as one fails to wholeheartedly love God, one loves mammon. Whosoever loves mammon, hates God. Whosoever loves God, hates mammon. Therefore, the mark of a true Christian is one who hates mammon. It is true that all of us do face mammon's temptations and yield to it, without realising. However, the true Christian is one who hates mammon. To hate mammon is to hate things of this world, and treat all material earthly things to be worthless with all one's heart, whether it be one's wealth, family, relationships, children, parents, jobs, careers, security, luxury, status or power. I can guarantee that many people who attend a church will end up in Hell because of a failure to give up all one has!
Jesus said: "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me" (Matthew 19:21). Some mammonised Christians have argued that this only applies to the rich young ruler in a self-righteous way. How is anyone else different from the rich young ruler? None is righteous, no, not one, no one understands; no one seeks for God.All have turned aside; together they have become worthless, no one does good, not even one (Romans 3:10-12).
After telling the rich young ruler to sell all he had, Jesus turned to His disciples, warning them about how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:23-24). This is a warning about the danger that riches pose to the soul. It is impossible, not improbable, or merely difficult but possible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, but impossible. Therefore, Jesus was saying it impossible for a rich man to end the Kingdom of God on his own because of riches.
Without Jesus Christ, one can only pursue earthly things, whether it be wealth, status, power, prestige, health, education, relationships or family - absolutely anything that replaces God or causes one to stop seeking after God. The Bible makes it clear that no one seeks after God, So, people will seek after anything in the world, no matter what harm, hurt or heartache it may cost, except for God. This explains why people, despite knowing that chasing all these things leads to emptiness pursue such things. It is because they cool the flesh, and puff up one's pride.
Mammon feeds on the desire to gain and enjoy more earthly things, to increase the appetite of the flesh for such things that have no eternal value. This leads to dissatisfaction that results from not being able to achieve or attain one's earthly desires. Covetousness, envy and jealousy follows because one's flesh is not satisfied. Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not (James 4:2).
The secular ethic of gaining money, achievements and ambition is the epitome of serving mammon. Secular people seek money, which is of lust of the flesh, achievements, of lust of the eyes, and ambition, which is of the pride of life. Anyone without ambition is seen as weak at best, or oppressed or treated without dignity at worst within the secular ethical framework.
Such people then become jealous, covetous and envious of those who enjoy what they do not have, such as long breaks or happiness from people who do not work as much. They, in their blindness, see this an "inequality" as though people who work less hours then them have "sinned" against them. The spirit behind this is mammon. Mammon seduces them to hate those they perceive to have more than them through their envy and covetousness.
Comments
Post a Comment