YOU CAN NOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON
“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 NKJV)
After Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon had set up his image of gold. A herald cried aloud, saying: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, “that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; “and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” (Dan. 3:4-6 NKJV).
Similarly, Satan today has fashioned, elevated, and set up “mammon” (mammon is a Chaldea or Syriac word meaning “wealth” or “riches”; it is also a name given to an idol worshipped as the god of riches) for all peoples and nations to worship, serve, follow, and obey.
Many people in the world today are enslaved people and worshippers of mammon. They are ruled, controlled, governed, influenced, and driven by the love of money, riches, or wealth. This is the primary reason why today’s world is full of all kinds of evil.
Paul warns us about the love of money in his epistle to Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 – NKJV
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
It is sad but true that the devil has somehow succeeded in securing a sacred place for mammon (the god of riches) in our churches today.
Today, many servants of God have strayed from the faith and their true calling to pursue riches or wealth. They have become “servants of mammon.”
The Lord Jesus warns us about mammon.
Matthew 6:24 – NKJV
24 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.
Today, many “servants of God” are claiming to be on a divine mission to raise multi-millionaires among the believers for God’s Kingdom. Still, ironically, they are the only people who become multi-millionaires. Who is fooling who?
Many special meetings, seminars, and conferences today in our churches are nothing but mere fundraising campaigns, and many extraordinary guest ministers are professional fundraisers.
What a great shame!
Wherever mammon is enthroned and worshiped as a god, evil should be expected, for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10).
Is it any surprise that our churches today are full of evil?
The love of money is primarily responsible for all the sales gimmicks, sweet and enticing talks, bogus prophecies, fabricated and exaggerated testimonies, and craftiness on display in many churches today.
Almost all things are for sale in our churches today. Some greedy servants of God today, if possible, will even ask sinners to give a unique offering for salvation or to sow “a seed of repentance” before they can become born again.
It is so disheartening and sickening!
The goal and mission of mammon are to quench, steal or displace the love of Christ in your heart and replace it with the love of self, the love of money, and lust for the things of this world.
Therefore, you must beware of “the servants of mammon” who disguise and parade themselves as “the servants of God.”
The primary mission of the servants of mammon is to incite, propel or motivate gullible folks to chase after money and acquire the things of this life by any means they can.
Afterward, “the servants of mammon” will eventually sweet-talk, coax, or cajole these gullible believers with enticing prophecies or frightening visions into sowing seeds and offerings to finance and sustain their outrageous appetites and extravagant or prodigal lifestyles (2 Cor. 11:13-15, Mark 14:38).
When mammon succeeds in capturing or charming your soul, you will become boastful, callous, crafty, covetous, and greedy. You will also hasten to be rich, wealthy, and famous, thereby falling into many temptations and snares.
The Scripture warns about this.
1 Timothy 6:9 – NKJV
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Proverbs 15:27 – NKJV
27 He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live.
No believer can escape confrontation with mammon. Every believer will undoubtedly be tempted or presented with ample opportunities to bow down to and worship mammon.
There will be crucial moments when you must decide whether to join the multitude to fall and worship mammon or stand up alone or with few people for the worship of the Most High God, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego did in Babylon.
Daniel 3:16-18 – NKJV
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
18 “But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Beloved, you cannot sit on the fence; you will have to choose between God and mammon, whom you will serve or worship.
The Lord Jesus said, “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.” (Matt. 6:24 NKJV).
Choosing to serve and worship God always may land you amid a burning fiery furnace-like situation. Still, God will be there before you and with you as He was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego when they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace for refusing to worship the image of gold set up in Babylon by the king.
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to fall and worship the god of riches set up by the king of Babylon, they were bound and cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Still, the Son of God was already in the fire before them to preserve them and manifest His glory.
Daniel 3:23-25 – NKJV
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
Friend, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, if you also stand firm in faith and refuse to worship or fall before the god of riches (mammon) as many people are doing today, God will preserve you even in the burning fiery furnace and manifest His glory in your life and situation.
Hebrews 13:5-6 – NKJV
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Isaiah 43:2 – NKJV
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
Therefore, don’t be afraid to stand alone for the worship of God. Refuse to serve and worship mammon today no matter the costs or consequences.
Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, you will come out of the burning fiery furnace unhurt by the fire, and God will be glorified in your life and situation.
Daniel 3:27-28 – NKJV
27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!
Beloved, why not choose today to always serve and worship God alone, notwithstanding the costs or consequences, and thus bring glory, honor, and praise to God, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego did in Babylon?
I choose to serve and worship God and not mammon!
What about you?
Prayer: My Dear Heavenly Father, I always pledge to serve and worship You alone, no matter the costs or consequences. Dear Holy Spirit, help and strengthen me daily to do so, in Jesus’ name. Amen.