Are Your Working for Mammon or God?...continued
When we talked about the choice between God and mammon last time, we pointed out how our working to get ahead in this world can sometimes lead us to serve mammon rather than God - even if that's not our initial intention. Fortunately, Our Lord knows us better than we know ourselves. He gives us a way to be sure that our efforts to get ahead by working hard don't lead us down the wrong path. So to be sure we work for God, rather than mammon, we would do well to consider what He has to say right after his warning about mammon:
Simple maybe; but not always easy to accept. In fact, this particular advice from Our Lord has always been tough for me to accept. So tough that I used to think that Our Lord's words weren't meant to be taken literally. But that was only because I wanted to be the one in control all the time (and still do much of the time!). So while I'd give lip service to the idea that "my hope is in the name of the Lord," that I totally trusted in God's plan for me, I really lived my life to make sure that I - as in me, myself and I - remained the one in control at all times. By thinking Our Lord didn't mean what he said literally, I had my excuse to stay in control.
But how can we just turn around and say He doesn't mean what He's saying here? He's saying "don't be anxious." Is there something about "don't be anxious" that's not clear?
Guys, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, He Who suffered and died on a cross so that we could enjoy an eternal life of joy and happiness in Heaven, He Who is God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, just told us exactly how we avoid - irrevocably, permanently, assuredly - serving mammon rather than God. Should we not take this literally?
Now think about mammon for a second: If we're in control, then it's us and what we want that matters most to us, not what God wants for us. In other words, His Will gets pushed off to the side and our will takes center stage. And just so we're all clear on why that's a problem, I think that's what got Lucifer into trouble, wasn't it? He didn't want to serve God anymore. His will - what he wanted - was more important than God's will. And in the moment our will stands above God's, who do you think will win in the end, God or mammon?
Remembering that Our Lord knows us better than we now ourselves, we know that His solution is THE solution. Don't kid yourself here and think He's not speaking clearly or that we shouldn't take him literally. There's no way around this. We have to give up control, or the tug and lure of mammon will pull at us and pull at us until we find ourselves serving mammon rather than God.
When Jesus speaks to us in such a clear manner, it behooves us to listen:
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Mat 6:25-26)Our Lord wants us to not only avoid anxiety about our lives, but He tells us exactly why we don't need to be anxious: We can simply trust in God. Our Father will take care of us. That's how we avoid serving mammon rather than God. We simply don't need to think about getting ahead in this world, since Our Heavenly Father will take care of us. Sounds pretty simple and straightforward, doesn't it?
Simple maybe; but not always easy to accept. In fact, this particular advice from Our Lord has always been tough for me to accept. So tough that I used to think that Our Lord's words weren't meant to be taken literally. But that was only because I wanted to be the one in control all the time (and still do much of the time!). So while I'd give lip service to the idea that "my hope is in the name of the Lord," that I totally trusted in God's plan for me, I really lived my life to make sure that I - as in me, myself and I - remained the one in control at all times. By thinking Our Lord didn't mean what he said literally, I had my excuse to stay in control.
But how can we just turn around and say He doesn't mean what He's saying here? He's saying "don't be anxious." Is there something about "don't be anxious" that's not clear?
Guys, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, He Who suffered and died on a cross so that we could enjoy an eternal life of joy and happiness in Heaven, He Who is God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, just told us exactly how we avoid - irrevocably, permanently, assuredly - serving mammon rather than God. Should we not take this literally?
Now think about mammon for a second: If we're in control, then it's us and what we want that matters most to us, not what God wants for us. In other words, His Will gets pushed off to the side and our will takes center stage. And just so we're all clear on why that's a problem, I think that's what got Lucifer into trouble, wasn't it? He didn't want to serve God anymore. His will - what he wanted - was more important than God's will. And in the moment our will stands above God's, who do you think will win in the end, God or mammon?
Remembering that Our Lord knows us better than we now ourselves, we know that His solution is THE solution. Don't kid yourself here and think He's not speaking clearly or that we shouldn't take him literally. There's no way around this. We have to give up control, or the tug and lure of mammon will pull at us and pull at us until we find ourselves serving mammon rather than God.
When Jesus speaks to us in such a clear manner, it behooves us to listen:
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.
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