Mammon

What is the worship of mammon?
Mammon is the depiction of wealth. He became an evil influence that was worshipped in the place of God especially in the Industrial Revolution. Mammon is depicted, by Evelyn, to have a slight smirk, this makes him seem devious and devilish.
mammon, biblical term for riches, often used to describe the debasing influence of material wealth. The term was used by Jesus in his famous Sermon on the Mount and also appears in The Gospel According to Luke. Medieval writers commonly interpreted it as an evil demon or god.
What kind of spirit is mammon?
Mammon is basically the spirit of the world—and that spirit is a liar. I've noticed that the people most under the influence of the spirit of mammon tend to have the most fear about their money. As Jesus clearly suggests in today's verse, mammon tries to take the very place of God.
In Luke 16:9 and 16:11, Jesus defines mammon as ''unrighteous'' wealth and tells his followers that mammon does not represent true riches. In Luke 16:13 and Matthew 6:24, Jesus warns his followers that no one can serve both mammon and God, as worshippers will always come to loathe one but love the other.
Was mammon a fallen angel?
In John Milton's Paradise Lost, Mammon is a fallen angel, described as being "more interested in heaven's pavements" than the leader. He tells the other fallen angels to be content in Hell. In Past and Present (1843), Thomas Carlyle describes Victorian England's worship of money as the "Gospel of Mammonism".
Matthew 6:24
No man can serve two masters
Whose orders are directly contrary to one another: otherwise, if they were the same, or agreed, both might be served; but this is rarely the case, and seldom done. This is a proverbial expression, and is elsewhere used by Christ, ( Luke 16:13 ) . The Jews have sayings pretty much like it, and of the same sense as when they say F23,
``we have not found that (twnxlwv ytvl hkwz Mda lk) , "any man is fit for two tables."''
And again F24,
``that it is not proper for one man to have two governments:''
their meaning is, that two things cannot be done together:
for, either he will hate the one, and love the other;
he will have less affection and regard to the one, than to the other; as the service or orders of the one, are less agreeable to him than the others;
or else he will hold to the one;
hearken to his commands, obey his orders, and abide in his service;
and despise the other;
show disrespect to his person, neglect his orders, and desert his service:
Quotes
“ Money has no soul and no heart. It's surprising how much people attack and kill each other over this crap. „
— Mammon.
“ Mammon is the Prince of Greed and is the owner of Hell's banks. He is known as the Lord of Fools, for those who are blinded by greed are nothing more than foolish puppets under his control, no matter how hard they try to resist. He's also posed for Hell's fashion magazines several times and gives out tips for a body as sculpted like his. I tried it several times. They all failed for me but worked for other demons. There's just something hard to swallow when your entire diet consist of pure gold and blood of the innocent you know? „
— Matt Wright.
“ No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon. „
— Jesus Christ talking about Mammon and the greed he causes to men.
“ Don't worry, I'll make you so poor that the only thing you'll have is money. „
— Mammon corrupting a Human.
“ When the greed of man is exposed, the bankruptcy of his soul is exposed. „
— Mammon.
ye cannot serve God and mammon.
The word "mammon" is a Syriac word, and signifies money, wealth, riches, substance, and everything that comes under the name of worldly goods. Jerom says, that riches, in the Syriac language, are called "mammon"; and so the word is often used in the above senses, in the Chaldee paraphrases F25, and in the Talmudic writings; where F26 (twnwmm ynyd) , "pecuniary judgments", or causes relating to money affairs, in which were pecuniary mulcts, are opposed to (twvpn ynyd) , "judgment of souls", or causes relating to life and death. The account and interpretation Irenaeus F1 gives of the word, is very wide and foreign; who says, that
``Mammon, according to the Jewish way of speaking, which the Samaritans used, is one that is greedy, and would have more than he ought; but, according to the Hebrew language, it is called adjectively Mam, and signifies one that is gluttonous; that is, who cannot refrain himself from gluttony.''
Whereas it is not an Hebrew word, nor an adjective, but a substantive, and signifies riches; which are opposed to God, being by some men loved, admired, trusted in, and worshipped, as if they were God; and which is incompatible with the service of the true God: for such persons, whose hearts go after their covetousness, and are set upon earthly riches, who give up themselves to them, are eagerly and anxiously pursuing after them, and place their confidence in them; whatever pretensions they may make to the service of God, as did the Scribes and Pharisees, who are particularly struck at by this expression, both here and elsewhere, they cannot truly and heartily serve the Lord. "Mammon" is the god they serve; which word may well be thought to answer to Pluto, the god of riches, among the Heathens. The Jews, in Christ's time, were notorious for the love of "mammon"; and they themselves own, that this was the cause of the destruction of the second temple: the character they give of those, who lived under the second temple, is this:
``we know that they laboured in the law, and took care of the commandments, and of the tithes, and that their whole conversation was good; only that they (Nwmmh ta Nybhwa) , "loved the mammon", and hated one another without a cause F2.''
WHAT IS MAMMON?
CHRISTIANITY 102
NOV 9
WRITTEN BY ERIC SOMMERS
The Rich Fool. Rembrandt, 1627.
What is Mammon?
Mammon is the deification of the accumulation of wealth. One’s life becomes a quest to accumulate more and more wealth and property until it becomes a religious practice supplanting all other things, and wealth becomes an object of worship. This is why Jesus put mammon and God in stark opposition to each other. For Jesus, to serve mammon is to replace God with something else. Moreover, the pursuit of wealth displaces one’s obligation to and love of neighbor. One becomes greedy and exploitative, seeking opportunities for gain. One becomes obsessive about protecting one’s property and possessions, or guarding future interests in accumulating more.
Mammon In the Time Of Jesus
Jesus’s ministry took place within the context of the Roman Empire. The political economy of Jesus’s time was mostly agrarian. Large areas of cultivation were worked by peasants. Some of their crops were used for subsistence, but the rest were paid as tribute or as taxes. There were large towns and small cities, where craftsmen plied their trade. Jesus’s father Joseph belonged to this group. Around the Sea of Galilee, a fishing trade existed, with both fish and fish sauce becoming exports. The fishermen were not well off, patching up their boats with whatever timber they could find. Due to the conquests of both Alexander the Great and the Romans, Judea was becoming part of a vast interconnected trade zone around the Mediterranean. Yet most of the wealth went to the powers that be, whether they were rich merchants, landowners, Rome’s client kings, or the Imperial administration.
There was great hope among the Jewish people, and in particular peasants, that one day a revolt would happen that would throw Rome and its lackeys out of the land of Israel. Before Jesus began his ministry several revolts had taken place, all of them brutally put down. The hope of a divine reversal of the world and its hierarchy is epitomized in the Virgin Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55), her song praising what God has done for her in bearing the Messiah and the expected rule that God would bring the exploited people of Israel. God would cast the mighty down from their thrones, and send the rich away empty, and lift up the lowly. Yet while most anti-Roman Jewish movements were largely focused squarely on political liberation, Jesus was not. Why this difference?
Two thousand years before Karl Marx expressed his famous philosophy analyzing the world in terms of economic relationships, Jesus too saw that there was something deeper in the human condition than merely one particular empire occupying Israel. The issue was not just the Roman Empire, but the very root that created the empire in the first place. For Jesus, it is the desire to own and the anxiety of lack, which creates the pursuit of obtaining something, even at the point of a sword. This is what creates empire. This is what Jesus referred to as mammon.
This is why Jesus tells the rich man who wanted to follow him to sell all his possessions (Mark 10:17–27; Matthew 19:16–22). Clinging on to wealth can become idolatrous in and of itself. The rich often receive Jesus’s harshest criticism. Two parables stand out which illustrate two aspects of Jesus’s attitude towards wealth. Jesus sees it as both sheer folly and as creating a class divide which neglects one’s neighbor.
The first parable is that of the rich man who wanted to build bigger storehouses once he did an inventory of his wealth. The punchline is that he died that very night, and his accumulation was pointless since he couldn’t take his riches with him in death (Luke 12:13–21). Instead, Jesus teaches us to store up “treasures in heaven”, for true wealth is not physical objects or commodities, but love and virtue.
The second is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31). Here Jesus is at his most black and white. Jesus tells us nothing about the rich man aside from the clothes he wears. His clothes infer someone of incredibly high status, perhaps the Roman emperor. This man ignores Lazarus, a poor suffering man who is outside his gate. Death takes both and their roles are reversed; the rich man suffers in Hades, while Lazarus is in heaven in the bosom of Abraham. The rich man asks for aid, which Abraham says he cannot do. A great chasm lies between the rich man and Lazarus. Nor can the rich man warn his friends of the impending doom which awaits them. For Jesus, the rich have the law and the prophets constantly preaching social and economic justice which the rich ignore. Not only has mammon become their God, but it has created a class divide which can only be overcome by the rich person’s own divestment of wealth. As Jesus simply put it in the Sermon on the Plain, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. . . . But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort” (Luke 6:20–24).
The early church took Jesus’s teachings about avoiding wealth accumulation very seriously. The book of Acts recounts: “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:32, 34–35). Or as someone else would later say, “From each according to his ability to each according to his need.” This abandonment of private property was a requirement of the Acts church in Jerusalem. Barnabas’s sale of his own property is contrasted with the duplicity of Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:1–11).
We see the same exhortation repeated in other New Testament texts. First Timothy goes to say, “But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:9–10). The pursuit of wealth not only leads to trouble but replaces worship of God with another faith—that of mammon. The book of Hebrews says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have . . . .” (Hebrews 13:5).
James is even more emphatic in its condemnation of wealth. “But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower” (James 1:10). James is concerned with favoritism shown to rich people in Christian communities. James condemns this class favoritism which leads to antagonism against the poor. He reminds his readers, “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you?” (James 2:5–6). For James, hatred of the poor is synonymous with mammon worship. Again, James condemns the rich: “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you” (James 5:1–6). Hoarding and exploitation are at the heart of James’s exhortations against wealth in his letter. The rich appear noble and are loved by the people, but are in actuality thieves. Their way of life deserves no worship or adoration.
The example of the early church continued even as the church found itself a very part of the empire it once had struggled against. As more and more wealthy Romans became Christians, less emphasis was placed on economic simplicity and refraining from wealth accumulation. This gave rise to the counterbalancing force of the monastic movement, which abolished private property within the cloister. Saint Benedict, the ancestor of most modern monks, mandated that a monk was not to own anything lest he fall into the trap of mammon. Saint Francis came from a rich noble background and also maintained a rule of poverty for his order. Francis said that poverty was the preferred way to serve Christ and avoid wealth. Saint John Chrysostom saw the wealth of the rich as nothing less than theft from the poor.
Mammon In Our Time
Whereas the disciples lived in a largely agrarian and slave economy, we live in industrial (some would say post-industrial) capitalism. Wealth is no longer “in kind,” expressed through agricultural or manufactured products or even in land itself, but through money. Capitalism has remade the world. Capitalism has infiltrated every aspect of our modern society and has transformed it according to its own principles of wealth accumulation and profit motive, to the commodification of all aspects of human life without moral judgement aside from someone profiting. Virtue and vice have no intrinsic meaning aside from the monetary value of someone making money of either behavior.
However, class hierarchy and imperialism remain as true for our lives as they were two thousand years ago. What also remains true is our misplaced worship of things over people. The commodification of life has intensified under capitalism; everything from natural resources to relationships now has a price tag and minimum rate of admission. Even our labor power is something bought by those we work for. We are bombarded with advertisements that influence our buying habits and reify our belief in the system itself. Capitalism seems on the surface amoral, with no moral judgements about what is bought or sold. And yet the continued need for growth and competition leads more often to negative outcomes. Corners are cut, wages decreased, and workers exploited. On a larger scale whole nations are subjugated by more powerful nations for resources, labor, or markets.
Workers feel pervasive alienation while they work to create something which they do not own. We are alienated from each other as actual human beings, seeing one another less as neighbors and more as potential enactors – or victims – of exploitation. We are also alienated from God, who has been displaced by mammon as the very focal part of our lives. Too often cost-benefit analysis becomes our primary mode of thinking, rather than loving God and our neighbor. Christianity has not escaped from this either. Too often churches and clergy reflect capitalist ways of thinking. The Protestant Reformation occurred during the rise of capitalism and the two have become interlinked. The prosperity gospel, with its “slot machine theology” proclaiming that God will simply hand out wealth in response to faith, is anathema to the theology and communalist practices of the earliest Christians.
Mammon is also an environmental betrayal of our faith in God. In Genesis, God calls us to be “stewards of the earth”—in other words, caretakers. Again and again, we are told that the Earth is God’s, not ours. Yet mammon would seduce us into believing that we own the Earth as our own personal property; or if not the entire world, then the parts of we control. This belief has led to wars, evictions, and suffering. Now we are on the brink of environmental annihilation. Instead of being good stewards of God’s creation, we have become its owners, but not to take care of the earth, but to ruthlessly exploit it for our own gain. We delude ourselves into thinking God gave us that right, but God has always placed provisions in the Law to take care of creation and to cease our productivity. Most notably, this was the meaning of the Sabbath: we must take time off to enjoy life (Exodus 20:8–11). A portion of one’s goods must be left for the poor (Leviticus 19:9, 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19). The land must be replenished and redistributed fairly, and all debts must be cancelled every seven and fifty years (Leviticus 25:8–13, Deuteronomy 15:1–6).
What Is to Be Done?
Christians must return to the communalist beliefs of our ancient faith. At the very least, Christians need to advocate the restoration of the commons, that is to say services and functions that are public property (held in common by all) and not privatized (owned by the few for a price of use). This means Christians must once again enter the political sphere. Join a good political organization. Help organize and support your neighbors.
Christians must embrace simplicity when it comes to possessions, remaining content with what we have. Recently the term Bien Vivir has arisen in certain circles. The concept is “living well”— being content with what one has and focusing on being one’s best self. Life is not about what one owns but how one lives. While originating with indigenous peoples in Latin America, this concept is not unique to their culture. It is also at the foundation of our own faith. We must as a church find a way to cultivate the practice with our own members to decouple ourselves from mammon.
Christians must become more politically involved to not only struggle against mammon, but to proclaim that a better world is possible. This was the mission of the earliest Christians as they struggled against an empire where property accumulation meant everything and offered a better way, a better Kingdom. We must, as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ and members of an ancient tradition who has struggled against mammon, take up the call and banner. Whether within the church or outside political organizations, we must make sure that the reign of mammon is no longer the driving force of our lives. Mammon cannot be our true god.
The struggle against mammon is an ancient struggle, but it is one that we must with God’s help win. If there is to be a better world and the Reign of God in it, then we must create a better system where resources can be distributed. As Martin Luther King Jr. put it, “Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God’s children.”
The Jewish prophetic and Christian traditions have long imagined a world without mammon. “Hear, everyone who thirsts; come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1). The end of mammon is not simply the end of wealth as an object of value, but the end of material scarcity and anxiety but human satiation and community. As Isaiah prophesies, “They shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will lead them and by springs of water will guide them” (Isaiah 49:10).

https://earthandaltarmag.com/posts/what-is-mammon

What does James 1:9 mean?
This verse begins another important teaching, explained in verses 9 through 11. This continues James' description of what it looks like for a believer to trust God.
One piece of evidence that we have placed trusting faith in God's wisdom is the ability to change our own perspective on reality. In this case, James calls Christians living in humble or lowly circumstances to take pride or boast about their truly exalted position in Christ. As the next two verses show, James is pointing out that it's not the circumstances of this short, fading life that matter most. It's the position we will hold in the life to come that is significant.

The ability for a poor Christian to declare that he or she is, in fact, the child of the king with riches beyond imagining—and to truly mean it—is evidence that Christian is trusting the Father in that moment. Taken negatively, when we as believers are consumed with sorrow and regret and envy and despair because of our limited resources, we show that we are not convinced in the reality of our God and our place with Him in eternity.

In what ways does a poor believer have a high position?
Phrase number three: “Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them” (NLT). However materially lacking life might be, James says the poor believers are to consider that God has “honored” them, which means exalted them (ESV), and given them a high position (AMP).

Believers who are poor should take pride that God has made them spiritually rich. Those who are rich should take pride that God has shown them that they are spiritually poor. The rich will die like a wild flower in the grass. The sun rises with burning heat and dries up the plants. The flower falls off, and its beauty is gone. In the same way the rich will die while they are still taking care of business.

Gill's Notes on the Bible
Let the brother of low degree,.... By "the brother" is meant, not one in a natural, but in a spiritual relation; one of Christ's brethren, and who is of that family that is named of him; of the household of faith, and is in church communion: and whereas he is said to be of "low degree", or "humble", this regards not the affection of his mind, or his conduct and deportment, he being meek and lowly, and clothed with humility, as every brother is, or ought to be; but his outward state and condition, being, as to the things of this world, poor, and mean in his outward circumstances, and so humbled and afflicted. This appears from the rich man, who, in the next verse, is opposed unto him, and distinguished from him; see

Psalms 62:9 such an one is advised to

rejoice in that he is exalted; or to "glory in his exaltation"; in that high estate, to which he is advanced; for a person may be very low and mean, as to his worldly circumstances, and yet be very high, and greatly exalted in a spiritual sense: and this height of honour and grandeur, of which he may boast and glory, amidst his outward poverty, lies in his high birth and descent, being born from above, and of God, and belonging to his family; in being an adopted Son of God, and so an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ, and of the heavenly inheritance and kingdom; in the present riches of grace he is possessed of, as justifying, pardoning, and sanctifying grace; and in the high titles he bears, as besides the new name, the name better than that of sons and daughters of the greatest potentate, even that of a Son of the Lord God Almighty, his being a King, and a priest unto God, and for whom a kingdom, crown, and throne are prepared; and also in the company he daily keeps, and is admitted to, as of God, and Christ, and the holy angels: and this height of honour have all the saints, be they ever so poor in this world, who can vie with the greatest of princes for sublimity and grandeur.

Despite it all
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Romans 8:37

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

Rejoicing in Trials
(Philippians 1:12–20)
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position. 10But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand. Dan 12:10

Words of Wisdom: Malachi 3:3
Refiner and Purifier of Silver

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this
statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to
the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch
him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond
her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it
heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the
middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the
impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought
again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire
the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he
had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver
was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you
know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's
easy - when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on
you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.


Proverbs 19:17 kjv niv

Streams of Living Water

The living water that Jesus gives us flows from us and blesses others

Jesus said, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:38).
To discuss this verse, let's consider "three directions" -- to us, in us, and from us to others.
To us -- God is the source, the fountain of living water (Jeremiah 2:13). That living water -- God's blessing and spiritual power -- flows from God to us (Isaiah 44:3).

In us -- The living water that Jesus gives us is a life-giving fountain that springs up in us (John 4:14). The living water that Jesus gives us completely satisfies our thirsts and endures to eternal life.

From us to others -- Jesus said that for those that believe in him, from our innermost being "will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). From God we shall receive an abundance of spiritual blessings not only to refresh us, but also so we can be instrumental in refreshing and comforting others (Ref. 5). 

As believers, we do not "end" at satisfying our own thirsts, but we become a fount, using the spiritual gifts God has given us, so others may derive refreshment (Ref. 6). As faithful stewards of God's grace, we are to use the gifts, spiritual blessings, and life-giving power that God has given us to bless others (1 Peter 4:10).




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The brother who slanders

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy [the one God who has the absolute power of life and death]; but who are you to [hypocritically or self-righteously] pass judgment on your neighbor?

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written:
“As surely as I live,
says the Lord,
every knee will bow before Me;
every tongue will confess to God.”

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
“Do not judge and criticize and condemn [others unfairly with an attitude of self-righteous superiority as though assuming the office of a judge], so that you will not be judged [unfairly].

A Warning against Favoritism
My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism.
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you lavish attention on the man in fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” but say to the poor man, “You must stand” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the noble name by which you have been called?

If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

2 Corinthians 6:2

Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs and examines the hearts [of people and their motives]. Proverbs 21:2
He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 2 Thessalonians 2:10

They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
whose fate is destruction, whose god is their belly [their worldly appetite, their sensuality, their vanity], and whose glory is in their shame—who focus their mind on earthly and temporal things.
They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world.
Philippians 3:19

The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate.
the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it.
Matthew 7:13

They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
2 Corinthians 4:4

So if the Good News that we tell others is covered with a veil, it is hidden from those who are dying.

The LORD, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy

While you have been sinning, I have been trying to talk to you, but you refuse to listen. You have done the same things the people did at Shiloh,' " declares the LORD. " 'Although I spoke to you again and again, you did not listen. When I called you, you did not answer.

The Parable of the Weeds
(Ezekiel 17:1–10)

24Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. 26When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

27The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
(Isaiah 5:1–7)

6Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down!a Why should it use up the soil?’

8‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9If it bears fruit next year, fine. But if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

2 Peter 3
The Coming Judgment
(Genesis 7:1–24; Jude 1:17–23)

1Beloved, this is now my second letter to you. Both of them are reminders to stir you to wholesome thinking 2by recalling what was foretold by the holy prophets and commanded by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

3Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.a 4“Where is the promise of His coming?” they will ask. “Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.”

5But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6through whichb the world of that time perished in the flood. 7And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

The Day of the Lord
(Zephaniah 1:7–18; Malachi 4:1–6; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11)

8Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.c 9The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

10But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyedd by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.e

11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness 12as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

Final Exhortations

14Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight.f

15Consider also that our Lord’s patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him. 16He writes this way in all his letters,g speaking in them about such matters. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort,h as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17Therefore, beloved, since you already know these things, be on your guard so that you will not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure standing. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.

Amen.

And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. Luke 16:9

How the Little May be Used to Get the Great

A. Maclaren, D. D.

Luke 16:9

And I say to you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when you fail…

I. First, then, I desire to consider briefly that strange, new standard of value which is set up here. On the one side is placed the whole glittering heap of all material good that man can touch or handle, all that wealth can buy of this perishable world; and on the other hand there are the modest and unseen riches of pure thoughts and high desires, of a noble heart, of a life assimilated to Jesus Christ. The two are compared in three points — as to their intrinsic magnitude, as to their quality, as to our ownership of them. Of the great glittering heap our Lord says: "It is nothing, at its greatest it is small"; and of the other our Lord says: "At its smallest it is great." All the wealth of all the Rothschilds is too little to fill the soul of the poorest beggar that stands by their carriage door with hungry eyes. The least degree of truth, of love, of goodness, is bigger in its power to fill the heart than all the externals that human avarice can gather about it. Can we thus enter into the understanding of Christ's scale and standard, and think of all the external as "that which is least," and of all the inward as "that which is much"? The world looks at worldly wealth through a microscope which magnifies the infinitesimally small, and then it looks at "the land that is very far off" through a telescope turned the wrong way, which diminishes all that is great. But if we can get up by the side of Jesus Christ and see things with His eyes and from His station, it will be as when a man climbs a mountain, and the little black line, as it seemed to him when looked at from the plain, has risen up into a giant cliff; and all the big things down below, as they seemed when he was among them, have dwindled. That white speck is a palace; that bit of a green patch there, over which the skylark flies in a minute, is a great lord's estate. Oh, dear brethren, we do not need to wait to get to heaven to learn heaven's tables of weights and measures! One grain of true love to God is greater in its power to enrich than a California of gold. Take, again, the second antithesis, the "unrighteous mammon" and "the true riches." That word, "unrighteous" in its application to material good, is somewhat difficult. If we keep strictly to the antithesis "unrighteous" must be the opposite of "true." The word would then come to mean very nearly the same as "deceitful" — that which betrays. And so we have presented to us the old familiar thought that external good of all sorts looks to be a great deal better than it is. It promises a great many things that it never fulfils, tempting us as a fish is tempted to the hook by a bait which hides the hook. But the inward riches of faith, true holiness, lofty aspirations, Christ-directed purposes, all these are true. They promise no more than they perform. They bring more than they said they would. No man ever said, "I have tasted Thy love, and lo! it does not satisfy me! I have realized Thy help, and lo! it has not been enough!" And then the last contrast is between "another's" and "your own." Another's? Well, that may mean God's; and therefore you are stewards, as the whole parable that precedes the text has been teaching. But I am not sure that that is the only, nor indeed the principal reference of the word here. And I think when our Lord speaks of all outward possessions as being, even whilst mine, another's, He means to point there, not only to the fact of stewardship, but also to the fact of the limitations and defects of all outward possessions of outward good. That is to say, there is no real contact between the outward things that a man has and himself. The only things that you really have, paradox as it sounds, are the things that you are. All the rest you hold by a very slight tie, like the pearls that are sewn upon some half-barbarous Eastern magnate's jacket, which he shakes off as he walks. So men say, "This is mine!" and it only means "It is not yours." There is no real possession, even while there is an apparent one, and just because there is no real contact, because there is always a gap between the man and his goods, because he has not, as it were, gathered them into himself, therefore the possession is transient as well as incomplete. It slips away from the hand even whilst you hold it. And just as we may say, "There is no present, but everything is past or future, and what we call the present is only the meeting point of these two times," so we may say, there is no possession, because everything is either coming into my hands or going out of them, and my apparent ownership is only for a moment. I simply transmit.'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands.And so it passes. And then consider the common accidents of life which rob men of their goods, and the waste by the very act of use, which gnaws them away as the sea does the cliffs; and, last of all, death's separation. What can be taken out of a man's hands by death has no right to be called his.

II. Notice for a moment the other broad principle that is laid down in these three verses, as to THE HIGHEST USE OF THE LOWER GOOD. Whether you are a Christian man or whether you are not, this is true about you, that the way in which you deal with your outward goods, your wealth, your capacity of all sorts, may become a barrier to your possessing the higher, or it may become a mighty help. There are plenty of people, and some of them listening to me now, who are kept from being Christians because they love the world so much. The world thinks that the highest use of the highest things is to gain possession of the lowest thereby, and that truth and genius and poetry are given to select spirits and are wasted unless "they make money out of them. Christ's notion of the relationship is exactly the opposite, that all the out. ward is then lifted to its noblest purpose when it is made rigidly subordinate to the highest; and that the best thing that any man can do with his money is so to spend it as to "purchase for himself a good degree," "laying up for himself in store a good foundation that he may lay hold on eternal life."

III. And now let me say one last word as to THE FAITHFULNESS WHICH THUS UTILIZES THE LOWEST AS A MEANS OF POSSESSING MORE FULLY THE HIGHEST. You will be "faithful" if, through all your administrations of your possessions, there runs, first, the principle of stewardship; you will be "faithful" if, through all your administration of your earthly possessions, there runs, second, the principle of sacrifice; you will be "faithful" if, through all your administration of your earthly possessions, there runs, third, the principle of brotherhood.

(A. Maclaren, D. D.)

 I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a person and his neighbor. This too is futility and striving after wind. Ecclesiastes 4:4

But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work [examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. For every person will have to bear [with patience] his own burden [of faults and shortcomings for which he alone is responsible]. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Galatians 6:4-5

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. And take care of yourself, that you present yourself perfectly before God, a laborer without shame, who preaches the word of truth straightforwardly.

2 Timothy 2:15

For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding), and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly affection, and in your brotherly affection, [develop Christian] love [that is, learn to unselfishly seek the best for others and to do things for their benefit]. For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is blind—shortsighted [closing his spiritual eyes to the truth], having become oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; for by doing these things [actively developing these virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin]; And so a triumphant admission into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be freely granted to you.

2 Peter 1:5-11

The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out - but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

1 John 2:17 MSG

Verse 17 concludes John's condemnation of worldly thinking. John notes that this world is temporary. The world is temporary for each person, since every person dies. The physical earth is also temporary, since God will make a new earth in the end (Revelation 21—22). As a result, the desires of this world are also temporary. Believers are to resist evil desires, following the example of Jesus (Matthew 4:1–11).

This is the only place where the apostle John mentions the "will of God." However, this phrase has a rich usage in the New Testament. Jesus stated, "For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35). Romans 8:27 notes, "the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 12:2 adds, "be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God." Doing God's will or desires is to be the goal of the believer.

Doing God's will cannot save us, of course—no good works can overcome our sin. We are saved by Christ's sacrifice, when we put our trusting faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8–9). However, a natural outcome of salvation is a desire to do God's will (Ephesians 2:10). This is a hallmark of the believer, and only the believer will live with God forever. More immediately, John is explaining that a life lived in fellowship with God will go on forever, while earthly things will someday be gone.

Man’s viewpoint of the world is very different from God’s perspective. Man likes to think that everything is going to continue on as it has in bygone days, but God has purposed that the world, with all it passions and lusts, is passing away and will one day be folded up like a blanket.

This present world system, with its fleshly desires and materialistic vices, is fading away, and we should live our lives keeping this truth in mind. We should not cling to the transient things of life. We should hold to the things of this world lightly, and yet the main ideology of the natural man is that things will continue on in the same seasonal cycle - that things will continue on as they have always been, from the beginning of the creation.

The world is, indeed, passing away and the seasonal fading and falling leaves, which are replaced when new-growth springs up, is a perpetual reminder that the heaven and earth is finite and the world in which we live will one day be replaced with a new heaven and a new earth. How important to keep this as our primary viewpoint.

The vain pursuits of this world and the deceptive pleasures of the life we once 'enjoyed' will perish in our memories with the ever-increasing march of time, as we discover them to be passing vanities. Solomon in all his glory and with all his riches realised this important truth when he cried, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" as he tried to discover the meaning of life amidst the many human experiences and endeavours.

Solomon realised that when life is confined to the boundary of this present world system it is futile, for this world is passing away - it is fading fast, while the one who does the will of God will be fulfilled in this life (for His grace is sufficient) and will live forever in the eternal ages to come.

There is a great contrast between the two statements in this verse from 1 John. The person who does the will of God will abide forever, while the one who does not do the will of God, by hankering after the transitory things of this fleeting world which are here today but tomorrow are thrown into the fire, will suffer eternal loss - loss of their life for the unbeliever and loss of their reward for the carnal Christian.

The fear of the Lord and reverence for His name is the beginning of wisdom. How important, therefore, to invest our lives wisely in this world and to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose!" were the words of a young missionary who gave his life in service to God. How foolish, therefore, to go against God's will for our lives, in order to hold on to the fading things of this fleeting world system that are to transitory in nature, rather than doing God's will by holding fast to the truth of His Word and looking for our blessed hope and life everlasting.

The riches and poverty, pleasures and passion, beauty and bitterness, fame and shame of this perishing world are short-lived, but the things of the Lord are permanent, pure, good, secure, and of everlasting value. The lusts of the flesh and the pride of life are futile and false, but the things of God are eternal and will last forever. His love will never fail, His promises are everlasting, and His truth will endure throughout all generations.

Let us beware - for the passing cravings of this life can subtly allure us away from God’s permanent path of purity and His secure way of wisdom. Rather, let us set out hearts on the things of God, for the one that looks away from the world to Jesus will never be disappointed.

 Psalm 23

The Passion Translation

The Good Shepherd

David’s poetic praise to God

23 Yahweh is my best friend and my shepherd.[a]

I always have more than enough.[b]

2 He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love.[c]

His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss.[d]

3 That’s where he restores and revives my life.[e]

He opens before me the right path

and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness[f]

so that I can bring honor to his name.

4 Even when your path takes me through

the valley of deepest darkness,

fear will never conquer me, for you already have!

Your authority is my strength and my peace.[g]

The comfort of your love takes away my fear.

I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.

5 You become my delicious feast

even when my enemies dare to fight.

You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit;[h]

you give me all I can drink of you until my cup overflows.[i]

6 So why would I fear the future?

Only goodness and tender love pursue me all the days of my life.

Then afterward, when my life is through,

I’ll return to your glorious presence[j] to be forever with you!

Psalm 91

The Passion Translation

Safe and Secure

91 When you abide under the shadow of Shaddai,[a]

you are hidden[b] in the strength of God Most High.

2 He’s the hope that holds me and the stronghold to shelter me,

the only God for me, and my great confidence.

3 He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy,[c]

and he will protect you from false accusation

and any deadly curse.[d]

4 His massive arms[e] are wrapped around you, protecting you.

You can run under his covering of majesty and hide.

His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.

5 You will never worry about an attack of demonic forces at night

nor have to fear a spirit of darkness coming against you.

6 Don’t fear a thing!

Whether by night or by day, demonic danger will not trouble you,[f]

nor will the powers of evil be launched against you.

7 Even in a time of disaster, with thousands and thousands being killed,

you will remain unscathed and unharmed.

8 You will be a spectator as the wicked perish in judgment,

for they will be paid back for what they have done!

9–10 When we live our lives within the shadow of God Most High,

our secret hiding place, we will always be shielded from harm.

How then could evil prevail against us or disease infect us?

11 God sends angels with special orders to protect you wherever you go,

defending you from all harm.

12 If you walk into a trap, they’ll be there for you

and keep you from stumbling.

13 You’ll even walk unharmed among the fiercest powers of darkness,[g]

trampling every one of them beneath your feet!

14 For here is what the Lord has spoken to me:

“Because you loved me, delighted in me, and have been loyal to my name,

I will greatly protect you.

15 I will answer your cry for help every time you pray,

and you will feel my presence

in your time of trouble.

I will deliver you and bring you honor.

16 I will satisfy you with a full life and with all that I do for you.

For you will enjoy the fullness of my salvation!”

Psalm 90

The Passion Translation

Book 4

The Numbers Psalms

Psalms of our pilgrimage on earth

God, the Eternal

A prayer of Moses, God’s prophet

90 Lord, you have always been our eternal home,

our hiding place from generation to generation.

2 Long before you gave birth to the earth

and before the mountains were born,

you have been from everlasting to everlasting,[a]

the one and only true God.

3 When you speak the words “Life, return to me!”

man turns back to dust.

4 One thousand years pass before your eyes

like yesterday that quickly faded away,

like a night’s sleep soon forgotten.[b]

5–6 One day we will each be swept away into the sleep of death.

We glide along through the tides of time—

so quickly gone, like a dream that fades at dawn,[c]

like glistening grass that springs up one day

and is dry and withered the next, ready to be cut down!

7 Terrified by your anger, confined beneath the curse,

we live our lives knowing your wrath.[d]

8 For all of our faults and flaws are in full view to you.[e]

Everything we want to hide, you search out

and expose by the radiance of your face.

9 We are banished to live in the shadow of your anger.

Our days soon become years until our lifetime comes to an end,

finished with nothing but a sigh.[f]

10 You’ve limited our life span to a mere seventy years,

yet some you give grace to live still longer.[g]

But even the best of years are marred by tears and toils

and in the end are nothing more than a gravestone in a graveyard![h]

We’re gone so quickly, so swiftly;

we pass away and simply disappear.

11 Lord, who fully knows the power of your passion

and the intensity of your emotions?[i]

12 Help us to remember that our days are numbered,

and help us to interpret our lives correctly.

Set your wisdom deeply in our hearts

so that we may accept your correction.[j]

13 Return to us again, O God!

How much longer will it take until you show us

your abundant compassion?

14 Let the sunrise of your love end our dark night.

Break through our clouded dawn again!

Only you can satisfy our hearts,

filling us with songs of joy to the end of our days.

15 We’ve been overwhelmed with grief;

come now and overwhelm us with gladness.

Replace our years of trouble with decades of delight.

16 Let us see your miracles again, and let the rising generation

see the glorious wonders you’re famous for.

17 O Lord our God, let your sweet beauty[k] rest upon us.

Come work with us, and then our works will endure;

you will give us success in all we do.

Psalm 40

The Passion Translation

A Joyful Salvation

For the Pure and Shining One

A song of poetic praise by King David

40 I waited and waited and waited some more,

patiently, knowing God would come through for me.

Then, at last, he bent down and listened to my cry.

2 He stooped down to lift me out of danger

from the desolate pit I was in,

out of the muddy mess I had fallen into.

Now he’s lifted me up into a firm, secure place

and steadied me while I walk along his ascending path.

3 A new song for a new day rises up in me

every time I think about how he breaks through for me!

Ecstatic praise pours out of my mouth until

everyone hears how God has set me free.

Many will see his miracles;

they’ll stand in awe of God and fall in love with him!

4 Blessing after blessing comes to those who love and trust the Lord.

They will not fall away,

for they refuse to listen to the lies of the proud.

5 O Lord, our God, no one can compare with you.

Such wonderful works and miracles are all found with you!

And you think of us all the time

with your countless expressions of love—

far exceeding our expectations!

6 It’s not sacrifices that really move your heart.

Burnt offerings, sin offerings—those aren’t what bring you joy.

But when you open my ears and speak to me,

I become your willing servant, your prisoner of love for life.[a]

7 So I said, “Here I am! I’m coming to you as a sacrifice,[b]

for in the prophetic scrolls of your book

you have written about me.

8 I delight to fulfill your will, my God,

for your living words are written upon the pages of my heart.”

9 I tell everyone everywhere the truth of your righteousness.

And you know I haven’t held back in telling the message to all.

10 I don’t keep it a secret or hide the truth.

I preach of your faithfulness and kindness,

proclaiming your extravagant love to the largest crowd I can find!

11 So Lord, don’t hold back your love or withhold

your tender mercies from me.

Keep me in your truth and let your compassion overflow to me

no matter what I face.

12 Evil surrounds me; problems greater than I can solve

come one after another.

Without you, I know I can’t make it.

My sins are so many!

I’m so ashamed to lift my face to you.

For my guilt grabs me and stings my soul

until I am weakened and spent.

13 Please, Lord! Come quickly and rescue me!

Take pleasure in showing me your favor and restore me.

14 Let all who seek my life be humiliated!

Let them be confused and ashamed, God.

Scatter those who wish me evil; they just want me dead.

15 Scoff at every scoffer and cause them all to be utter failures.

Let them be ashamed and horrified by their complete defeat.

16 But let all who passionately seek you

erupt with excitement and joy over what you’ve done!

Let all your devoted lovers rejoice continually in the Savior,[c] saying,

“How great and glorious is our God!”

17 Lord, in my place of weakness and need, I ask again:

Will you come and help me?

I know I’m always in your thoughts.

You are my true Savior and hero,

so don’t delay to deliver me now, for you are my God.