Talking about Money

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” Psalm 37:25

           

Serving the Lord in righteousness and true holiness is the truest and best thing we can do with our lives.  God desires his creation to be as he is, holy, and if we are holy than we will be righteous.  As people, we are anxious and full of self-doubt and fear.  The world offers artificial comforts, condolences, and assurances but it comes at a price.  The true Comforter can abide in a willing heart, making him or her holy and guiding them in righteousness.  With Christ in you, you can have assurance in this life and in the next.  Righteousness is the best insurance policy there is.

It is in carnal man to commit his ways and talents toward laying up store for himself, and the devil makes no effort to prevent this.  While the Bible teaches us to be industrious and provide for our own, it is important to recognize that there is no amount of possessions that can compete with the safety and security that is in Christ.  It cost nothing to endorse that Jesus is our safety and security beyond the grave, because we know that nothing we can see, touch, or feel in this life can get us to heaven anyway.  However, Christ told us that you cannot serve God and mammon (i.e. money, riches, and wealth).  In saying this, he placed trusting in Him a priority not just for life after death, but also in the here and now.  It seems this is where we find conflict and challenges.  We must ask ourselves.  Do I trust God completely?  Do I really trust him with my family, house, job, future?  In this life, trust in God is consistently challenged by trust in mammon.  Our service to mammon is enticing because that service will yield immediate comfort and protection.  The world exalts wealth and riches to a place where it ought not to be, and we buy into this worship because it offers artificial insurance.  We are trained to believe that more money will mean less problems.  Indoctrinated to think that money will provide safety, security, companionship, and refuge.  Do you need proof of this theology?  Look no further than the lottery system.  Millions of people gambling their hard-earned cash on a chance of fortune; because it is held that fortune will eradicate the issues of life and bring comforts.  While it may appease them, it will never eradicate and the comfort of mammon, buy the comforts of life, which is an artificial comfort to which the natural man craves.  The comfort of Christ anchored in righteousness and holiness is an absolute comfort that the spiritual man needs.  When the spiritual is sound, the natural will follow suit.  This is why the righteous can praise God with nothing (from a monetary aspect), and the rich curse him with everything.  All the things that God wants to provide for you, and can provide, are undermine when you serve mammon, because when you serve it you exalt it to a place of idolatry.  Serving it means you believe in it, trust in its power, and therefore you alienate God and bind yourself to this world.  How weak a god mammon is and so many worship, how much more to serve the living God and trust in Him!

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Mat 6:33).  Righteousness and holiness is the principle aim.  It comes to this; do you wake in the morning seeking to serve yourself, or God in Jesus Christ?  If I am servant of myself then I am going to do what is needed to build and protect what is mine.  Using all I can at my disposal to provide safety and security for what I have (house, car, job, reputation, children, spouse, etc.), and money is the principle resource.  This path leads to unrighteousness and corruption.  However, if I wake seeking to serve Christ; then I am about my Father’s business same as he.  This is the path of righteousness and holiness.  It will cost me what I have built, but that is no matter, because the riches in Christ far outstretch the riches of mammon.  The comfort of the Spirit abides deeper, than the comfort of the world, and you have assurance in this life and the one to come; because the righteous are never forsaken nor their seed begging bread.