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 NKJ
LEARN
Growing up I loved playing the game Monopoly. The excitement of getting all that money at once and setting my own bank up made me feel rich. The game promised fame and fortune if the dice rolled right. There was also the chance that I could end up in jail while others passed by waving, losing the possibility of purchasing property like the Boardwalk, one of my favorites. I always wanted to be the banker who was in charge of all that money. It made me feel so important but mostly secure, and in full confession, as the game went on if I saw I was getting low in money I would just quickly & quietly take money from the bank! Running low on money was such a fearful thought for me and actually continued throughout my years growing up. It is sad how money can have a hold on us like that. Jesus shares a parable in Matthew 25:14-30 where three slaves were entrusted with their owners property while he went away. He gave the first slave 5 talents, the second 2 talents and the third one talent. The slaves with 5 and 2 talents went and invested them and doubled their talents, but the slave with only one talent went and buried it out of fear of losing it. That slave would have been me!
Another story I love in the Bible that talks about money is found in Matthew 17:24-27. “When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.” This story has many lessons but for me it reminds me of when I managed my Dad’s Land & Development Company for 10 years from the age of 20 to 30. I was fresh off the turnip truck when it came to running a business and handling his accounts. Deals were being made, property was being bought just like in monopoly. The end of each month would come around and I would have many bills to pay. More than not, the week before the end of the month I could see we didn’t have enough funds to cover all the bills. My Dad each month would tell me with such a calmness not to worry because the good Lord would cover it, and to my amazement He always did! I can picture Jesus in the same calmness telling Peter in the story above to just walk down to the water’s edge, throw a line in the water, pull the first fish out, open his mouth and get the coin out that was in there. Wow, now that really took some faith! Working for my Dad, in the beginning I would still worry about money but as the years passed I learned to have the faith my dad had and together we would take that coin out of the fishes mouth that the good Lord would send. After working for my Dad I married my husband Michael and he went a little further with my lesson on money and taught me when finances get tight the Lord knows who we are and what we need. I love how that truth sets me free!
KNOW
In the story with Jesus and Peter, Jesus could have easily just *POOF* had the money appear for Peter, but he didn't. So why didn’t Jesus just give Peter the money? Jesus anticipated Peter coming in and saw he was worried about where they were going to get the money. He was teaching Peter to trust Him through showing him that though he may not always see where it is possible for things to come together, if he has faith they always will. In Peter’s case the impossible was finding a coin in a fishes mouth. The same goes for us, when we doubt we are making a case for our limitations, but with God all things are possible. In Isaiah 33:6 we read “wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.” Do you hold tight to the things of this world so much where you are missing out on the blessings of trusting Jesus? Mammon is Aramaic and means the treasure a person trusts in like riches, money, possessions, or property that is opposed to God. I don’t know about you but this makes me want to examine what and who I am serving and putting my trust in!
DO
Count your blessing not your mammon.
Take time to share the Lord, your treasure, with those around you.
