"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
-Matthew 6:24
I went on a hunt and found that the word "money" in the NIV translation is actually the word "mammon". Mammon, I found out is a word from the old language a lot of people spoke is Jesus' time, Aramaic. It was then translated to Greek, then to Latin and finally to English. It's definition translates to mean "wealth as an object of desire and false worship".
If we look at that definition and put it into more simple words, it basically says that money is something that we are putting our trust in. If we are putting our trust into something other than God, then what is that saying about us? A lot of people can't stand listening to the sermon on Sunday morning that talks about tithing. Some of us just sit in our chairs and space out until we hear the music playing again. We think, "this message isn't talking about me. I tithe." Just because you tithe doesn't mean that your putting all your trust in God. I personally know a lot of people that tithe because they feel obligated to give money to the church. So what's the point of tithing then? Why are we giving our money away when somewhere deep inside of us we actually resent doing it? I'm not saying that EVERYONE that tithes does this, but I am saying that this does happen. So I got to thinking...why should we tithe?
Putting our trust is something other than God doesn't really feel right to me. God is my provider. The bible says in Matthew 6 that we should not worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will take care of itself. We should also not worry about today, because God will take care of us. He will provide us food to eat, water to drink, and shelter to keep us warm. But we must trust that he will do that. If we are walking around thinking it's our jobs that are keeping us up and running, we are dead wrong. God has provided that money that is feeding your family. Yes, we are the ones that worked for that money, but ultimately it was God that provided it. If we are aware of that, which most Christians say they are, then why are we not living that out? So much money is wasted on things we don't need or won't use. It's wasted because we impulse buy. But why is there no sudden impulse to give to our creator? Our currency even says "In God we Trust". Do we?
When I give money to the church I think it shows that ultimately there is something bigger than money that has my heart. Taking the definition of what money really means to mind, I came to realize that by putting my money in the bucket, it is showing that I don't have to have it in order to live my life. It also says that money is not something I worship because I'm giving it away. I'd like to start viewing tithing as another form of worship to me. Singing and praying makes me feel close to God because I am giving my full attention to him and proclaiming to him how much I love him! I'm giving away my heart to God in that moment. But, I feel like putting money in that bucket does the same thing. I'm gonna be honest, I rarely have money to put in the bucket. I let it pass almost every time. I feel like that is showing lack of trust in God when I do that. By holding onto that dollar in my pocket, I'm basically saying that I have to have this dollar just in case. But if God is my ultimate provider, won't he give me what I actually need. Just because I want something, doesn't mean I need it.
Maybe money isn't an issue for you. Maybe your already one of those people that regularly give money and feel great about it. But isn't it possible that something else in your life is your "mammon"? Maybe it's not wealth that is your object of worship, but fame instead. Maybe it's self image, power, or greed. Whatever the case may be, if there is something in your life that is being put before God is has to change! We cannot serve two masters. If we are constantly looking at our body image, then our focus is not on God. It's instead being wasted on a false image of perfection. The bible says we are already perfect! Chasing after the wrong God is only going to lead you down a road you don't want to be on. So what is your "mammon"? I know I need to think about this daily and constantly remind myself that God should always be first in my life!
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