Materialism is a philosophy that many nations have embraced to their peril. The pull or attraction of money has caused many to derail from the Christian faith. Many in the Church try to justify the insatiable pursuit of money and engage in a rationalization of those pursuits. In order for us to take care of family obligations, having a job or business is necessary but we must ask ourselves what our attitude is towards money. Do we see money as a means to an end or do we see it as an end? How we view money will affect how we run our lives; it will have an impact on us in all areas of our lives. Jesus said, "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). The issue of money was considered important by Jesus that He mentioned it and we would be wise to heed His advice.
Mammon is defined as follows:"mammon, biblical term for riches, often used to describe the debasing influence of material wealth. The term was used by Jesus in his famous Sermon on the Mount and also appears in The Gospel According to Luke. Medieval writers commonly interpreted it as an evil demon or god."(https://www.britannica.com/topic/mammon). This implies that there is a spirit behind the insatiable pursuit of money. It is impossible to serve God and mammon.
I have heard some people say that God will take away the riches of the unbelievers and give it to the believers. Really? They refer to when the Egyptians gave the children of Israel gold and silver just as they were leaving Egypt (Exodus 11:1-3). This is not only a misinterpretation of Scripture but a demonstration of greed and carnality. Why would God have to deprive unbelievers of their hard-earned wealth and in some cases ill-gotten wealth to enrich believers? That does not make any sense and would be grossly unfair. God says He will provide all the needs of His children (Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:19). Some people pursue more money citing the prospect of paying more tithe as a reason. On the surface it sounds sensible and logical but not all that glitters is gold and not every good thing is a God thing. God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and self-sufficient. He does not need a single penny from us. However He commands us to give towards the work of the Kingdom (2 Corinthians 9:6-9) so that things needed for the preaching of the Gospel, church bills, salaries and other necessary expenditure can be taken care of. Furthermore, we will be blessed by God when we obey His commands. Satan will use anything to distract us including prospects for material enrichment. Isn't it surprising that most people immediately go for a bigger house and a bigger car (incurring more debt) when they are promoted and have an increase in their salary? Most cars are bought on higher purchase which implies monthly outgoings of car repayments, insurance, fuel, maintenance, etc. Is it wise to spend a lot of money on items that depreciate rapidly in value? Just a thought! A little bit more prudence and frugality may well help us to cope with the financial challenges of life.
Material wealth attracts people because there is an innate love of luxury in almost every individual. Who wouldn't love an all-expenses-paid five star holiday trip? Who wouldn't like to have a sleek BMW or Jaguar car that appears to fly in the air? Who wouldn't love to fly first class from say UK to Japan or any other place? And these perks may well come into our lives at one point or the other but they hardly constitute the real purpose for living. The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing. Jesus said, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" (Luke 9:24-25 )
Yes, we are in the world, have responsibilities to take care of, feel pressure from time to time to provide this or that. However, may we never lose sight of the fact that God is in control and He has our back. Jesus said, "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:31-34 )
My dear brethren, life can be quite challenging at times but we must never allow ourselves to be deceived by the devil. Unbelievers pursue wealth and many millionaires and billionaires are unbelievers, atheists and agnostics. Wealth in itself is not evil and many godly men and women have been and are rich. However, Jesus knew this when he sounded the warning about the potential pitfalls of the love and pursuit of money. The Holy Spirit was aware of this when He instructed Apostle Paul to write to Timothy about the dangers of loving money. The love of money is a love easily acquired and it excludes God from everything. Let us rather pursue the love of God and seek growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
I therefore leave you with two passages of scripture to ponder on:
- "Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40 )
- "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)
May God enable you to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and not to be distracted. Have a blessed day.
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