Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven (Proverbs 23:5)
We live in a world that loves all manner of evil, all manner of earthliness, and of course, mammon. It loves wealth, riches and possessions. It is all too easy for a true Christian to think that because one is follower of Christ, one cannot ever fall into loving money. However, that is far from the truth.
A person who is a true follower of Christ can not only fall into loving money, as a result of temptation. He can think that his love of money which he falls into is legitimate, thinking it to not be a love of money, but rather, simply a means of making sure he has enough. That is just how subtle the love of money is. It is extremely subtle. To even think that one needs to make sure one has enough money is itself the love of money. For Jesus said, "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. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Matthew 6:24-25).
Matthew 6:25 is a continuation from Matthew 6:24. It is because one cannot serve both God and mammon that one is not to take thought for one's life, what one eats, drinks and what one wears - all earthly temporal needs. It is critical to understand that Matthew 6:25 is a continuation from Matthew 6:24 for this affects one's entire understanding of what is means to serve both God and mammon. What this means is that as long as one is taking thought for such earthly temporal needs, even to the slightest, one will end up serving mammon. It is not that one might, or may fall into serving mammon when one take thought for such things. It is that one will end up serving mammon is one take thought of such things, even to the slightest.
What Matthew 6:24-25 does not mean that if a person is active in church work, gives money to one's local church, evangelism, or volunteers at a campus ministry, one cannot fall into serving mammon.
Why? It is because the very act of seeking one's earthly needs, including legitimate needs is itself to seek one's needs in one's own ways, rather than in accordance to God's ways. It is simply to not fully trust God. It is that simple. Therefore, no matter how much work one may seek to do for God, including spiritual work such as ministry, it is most definitely possible for one to fall into serving mammon.
The only way where one be able to not serve mammon, but God and God alone, is to know and understand the riches and wealth are fly away like wings and to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). It is to know that riches and wealth are just illusions. Proverbs 23:5 says: "Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven". It tells us that not only are riches temporal, but that earthly riches are not riches by asking rhetorically "will thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?". True riches are riches in heaven. Earthly riches are nothing but an illusion.
There is no other way to not serve mammon but to know and understand that earthly riches are just that, earthly riches which will all be gone and mean nothing. It is to know and heed the words of Jesus when He said:
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (Matthew 6:30-34).
It is to literally to not even think about obtaining one's earthly needs, but to simply trust God to provide what one needs.
We live in a world that loves all manner of evil, all manner of earthliness, and of course, mammon. It loves wealth, riches and possessions. It is all too easy for a true Christian to think that because one is follower of Christ, one cannot ever fall into loving money. However, that is far from the truth.
A person who is a true follower of Christ can not only fall into loving money, as a result of temptation. He can think that his love of money which he falls into is legitimate, thinking it to not be a love of money, but rather, simply a means of making sure he has enough. That is just how subtle the love of money is. It is extremely subtle. To even think that one needs to make sure one has enough money is itself the love of money. For Jesus said, "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. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Matthew 6:24-25).
Matthew 6:25 is a continuation from Matthew 6:24. It is because one cannot serve both God and mammon that one is not to take thought for one's life, what one eats, drinks and what one wears - all earthly temporal needs. It is critical to understand that Matthew 6:25 is a continuation from Matthew 6:24 for this affects one's entire understanding of what is means to serve both God and mammon. What this means is that as long as one is taking thought for such earthly temporal needs, even to the slightest, one will end up serving mammon. It is not that one might, or may fall into serving mammon when one take thought for such things. It is that one will end up serving mammon is one take thought of such things, even to the slightest.
What Matthew 6:24-25 does not mean that if a person is active in church work, gives money to one's local church, evangelism, or volunteers at a campus ministry, one cannot fall into serving mammon.
Why? It is because the very act of seeking one's earthly needs, including legitimate needs is itself to seek one's needs in one's own ways, rather than in accordance to God's ways. It is simply to not fully trust God. It is that simple. Therefore, no matter how much work one may seek to do for God, including spiritual work such as ministry, it is most definitely possible for one to fall into serving mammon.
The only way where one be able to not serve mammon, but God and God alone, is to know and understand the riches and wealth are fly away like wings and to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). It is to know that riches and wealth are just illusions. Proverbs 23:5 says: "Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven". It tells us that not only are riches temporal, but that earthly riches are not riches by asking rhetorically "will thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?". True riches are riches in heaven. Earthly riches are nothing but an illusion.
There is no other way to not serve mammon but to know and understand that earthly riches are just that, earthly riches which will all be gone and mean nothing. It is to know and heed the words of Jesus when He said:
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (Matthew 6:30-34).
It is to literally to not even think about obtaining one's earthly needs, but to simply trust God to provide what one needs.
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