A Servant of God should never seek money, fame, power, influence or success. Why? Because such things are earthly temporal things. Seeking such things is earthly and worldly, without exception or qualification.
Jesus made it very clear, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). This means that if one is seeking money, fame, power, influence or success, one's heart is with the world, for such things are of the world. Seeking financial security on this earth shows that one's heart is with the world. Doing anything to seek such financial security, such as marrying and having a family for financial security as a reason is worldliness and earthliness. It is sin. Such people will not see the Kingdom of Heaven and will go to Hell if they do not repent and turn to Jesus Christ. Jesus said:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Jesus could not be clearer than that. A Servant of Christ is not to to seek money, fame, power, influence or success or any other earthly thing, because seeking such things is earthly and worldly. It is selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3).
One might say that one seeks such things to do good for others. However, such people say that with their own agenda and are not truly seeking such things for the good of others, but ultimately for themselves. For such people are driven by their own desires and agenda. They use their agenda to do good for others as a justification for their own desires. This is the spirit of mammon working in such people.
The majority of pastors in America nowadays are an example of such people. They enter full-time church ministry, not because they are called and sent by God, but because they want to benefits of a stable income, a refuge from the increasingly competitive secular workplace, a trust fund for their family, as well as recognition, fame and power. Full-time church ministry in places where the Church has gone apostate is now like a secular earthly career with a 'christian' appearance.
Jesus made it clear that where one's treasure is, there is one's heart also (Matthew 6:21). That is where the heart of anyone who seeks any earthly thing lies, even where he wants such things to serve others. Such a person is earthly minded, using the arms of the flesh, and being independent of God.
It is for God to give people such things, not for ourselves to seek such things to do things for our own agenda. Anyone who seeks such things is driven by his own agenda. Beware of such people in Church who claim that they seek financial security for the good of their family, or power for the good for their church.
A person who is truly walking by the Spirit will not seek any of such earthly things for oneself, whether it be to serve others or not. Such a person will be led by the Spirit and let God determine what He wants to give him or her, and use such things in accordance to God's Will and Plan, and God's Will and Plan alone. Such a person will not even think about seeking to justify his or her self-seeking under the guise of using such things to serve others. He will leave it all completely to God. He will steward what God gives to him, and not treat it like he owns such things, in seeking such things for himself.
Seeking money, fame, power, influence or success or any earthly thing is the complete opposite of what Jesus commands us to do. Jesus commands us to deny ourselves and that anyone who does not deny oneself cannot be His disciple (Matthew 16:24). Seeking such things is to appease oneself.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Matthew 16:24-26).
Jesus made it very clear, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). This means that if one is seeking money, fame, power, influence or success, one's heart is with the world, for such things are of the world. Seeking financial security on this earth shows that one's heart is with the world. Doing anything to seek such financial security, such as marrying and having a family for financial security as a reason is worldliness and earthliness. It is sin. Such people will not see the Kingdom of Heaven and will go to Hell if they do not repent and turn to Jesus Christ. Jesus said:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Jesus could not be clearer than that. A Servant of Christ is not to to seek money, fame, power, influence or success or any other earthly thing, because seeking such things is earthly and worldly. It is selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3).
One might say that one seeks such things to do good for others. However, such people say that with their own agenda and are not truly seeking such things for the good of others, but ultimately for themselves. For such people are driven by their own desires and agenda. They use their agenda to do good for others as a justification for their own desires. This is the spirit of mammon working in such people.
The majority of pastors in America nowadays are an example of such people. They enter full-time church ministry, not because they are called and sent by God, but because they want to benefits of a stable income, a refuge from the increasingly competitive secular workplace, a trust fund for their family, as well as recognition, fame and power. Full-time church ministry in places where the Church has gone apostate is now like a secular earthly career with a 'christian' appearance.
Jesus made it clear that where one's treasure is, there is one's heart also (Matthew 6:21). That is where the heart of anyone who seeks any earthly thing lies, even where he wants such things to serve others. Such a person is earthly minded, using the arms of the flesh, and being independent of God.
It is for God to give people such things, not for ourselves to seek such things to do things for our own agenda. Anyone who seeks such things is driven by his own agenda. Beware of such people in Church who claim that they seek financial security for the good of their family, or power for the good for their church.
A person who is truly walking by the Spirit will not seek any of such earthly things for oneself, whether it be to serve others or not. Such a person will be led by the Spirit and let God determine what He wants to give him or her, and use such things in accordance to God's Will and Plan, and God's Will and Plan alone. Such a person will not even think about seeking to justify his or her self-seeking under the guise of using such things to serve others. He will leave it all completely to God. He will steward what God gives to him, and not treat it like he owns such things, in seeking such things for himself.
Seeking money, fame, power, influence or success or any earthly thing is the complete opposite of what Jesus commands us to do. Jesus commands us to deny ourselves and that anyone who does not deny oneself cannot be His disciple (Matthew 16:24). Seeking such things is to appease oneself.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Matthew 16:24-26).
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