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Money Can Have Personality
Matthew 6:24 '[Jesus said] "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.' (NIV)
 When we focus our attention on getting the right lifestyle -- rather than imparting God's life -- money becomes 'Mammon' (as this is rendered in the old King James Version). Why did God spend so much time in the Old Testament introducing himself by various names? He did it to reveal his nature and to give us a basis for faith. But he also did it to ensure that, in our minds, he has Personality and not just Utility: God is not just an Idea to be embraced or discarded whenever it suits us. God is a Person: he has a Name! In God's order, there's a difference between things created for utility and those created with personality. We shouldn't confuse the two. We shouldn't personalize 'things' and we shouldn't utilize (use) 'people'. In the passage above, Jesus gave the word 'money' (or 'mammon') a capital 'M'. Jesus taught that money can take on a personality in our lives. When we place our faith in money more than God, it ceases to be just a utility, something we use, and takes on a personality of its own. When that happens, money does talk! It says things like, 'I can clothe you; I can feed you; I can give you drink.' It robs us of the opportunity to honour God by faith. Can you have money and serve God? Yes. Can you 'have' God and serve money? No! Let's keep money as our servant enabling us to extend God's fame, never letting it dictate terms by being the master of our choices.
Prayer: 'Father God, please forgive me if I have sometimes treated you as a 'thing', a utility for me to use in getting my own way. I will not allow money to take on a personality in my life. Money does not need my needs -- you do.'
© 2003-2004 Mal Fletcher
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I watched Mal's inspiring EDGES presentation on bioethics. Scientists who do genuine research are a boon to humanity. Physicians do everything they can, fighting to save a life. This is based on the image of the Creator in every human being.
Rev Canon Dr Lakshman Peiris
I want to congratulate Mal & the Edges team for excellent & uplifting material; it has meant so much for me in an age of God-less entertainment.
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