Word of the Week - Mammon

But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  1 Timothy 6-10As a believing American businessman who works in the financial services industry where value, profit and success are mostly measured in the currency of money, this verse is sobering but also quite refreshing. Sobering in the sense that we are all susceptible to the temptation of lacing our hope in the things of this world with a foacus on money as the means to that end; therefore, we must proactively guard our hearts from this human condition that I believe is part of our nature.  Refreshing in the sense that at the end of the day we will leave this world the same way we entered it, with nothing; thus, all that really matters are things of eternal value which we know have nothing to do with temporal possessions and wealth but have everything to do with eternal things of God and people (relationship), which last forever.If the “love of Money” is the root of all evil then what does that really mean.  “Love of money” is synonymous with the word Mammon which implies we idolize and worship money and materialism such that we put our faith in money believing that money will meet our needs and make us happy.  On the surface this sounds extreme but if we truly evaluate our hearts it is not hard to understand how we might find instances of Mammon in our lives, at least it is for me.  So love of money or Mammon is the alternative to faith in God’s grace and provision.  It is faith in future human and material resources – the kind of thing you can obtain or secure with money.  Therefore the love of money, or trust in money, is unbelief in the promises of God.  Jesus said during the sermon on the mount that “No one can serve two masters…you cannot serve God and money (Mammon)” Matthew 6:24.  Because of the value system of our world and the way our financial system is organized it is easy to fall into this trap.  The truth of the matter is that we are all susceptible to this temptation and must be keenly aware of the trap so we can work to build protection in our lives.  So how do we reject the spirit of Mammon and find godliness with true contentment when it comes to dealing with money and wealth?  Paul gives us the key in verse 1 Timothy 11 “ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith.” I think the key is to take an offensive stand and proactively pursue the things of God along with some other key strategies outlined by Paul in the book of 1Timothy that I found to be well-articulated by Pastor Larry Stockstill in his daily devotional:Paul taught Timothy three vital truths about money/finances:

• First, he taught him that the love of money can be dangerous to one's spiritual health. Money itself is not evil, but the love of money is a dangerous deception that can lead even to being drawn away from the faith. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 1 Timothy 6:9.  The proper attitude toward money must be one of contentment. As we live our lives, we must be thankful for what we have, not always wanting what we don't have. “
• The second truth is that God desires to bless us. He "richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17). God is not a taker- He's a giver! He longs to bless us for our enjoyment. ¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17
• The third truth Paul shared regarding money is the principle of giving, which is the true antidote to the spirit of Mammon. He urged Timothy to instruct the rich to remember to use their earthly wealth for doing good, thus laying up an eternal reward in heaven.  ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:18-19

As we proactively invest in God’s Kingdom Work we will be protected from the spirit of Mammon and our investment will be multiplied back to us in the life to come. Let's use our money as a tool for eternal investment, and one day we will see it again as “Treasures in Heaven”.Have a great week.-Duane