23 September | Youth
«He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.» Luke 16:10
One of the myths that exist about money is that it is neutral and that everything depends on how we use it. However, Jesus said that riches belong to the world (see Luke 16:9). In the parable of the Sower, the Master taught that riches deceive and suffocate. Money leads to illusion and the false feeling that it can take God's place in our lives. That is why Christ was so emphatic in His teachings on the subject.
The apostle Paul said that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim 6:10). The problem, in reality, is that the accumulation of wealth is part of a cruel system called Mammon. Mammon is the Aramaic word for money or riches. It means “that in which one trusts” or “something that is entrusted to someone’s care.” Jesus wanted to say that money exposes what dominates the heart of human beings. In Matthew 6:24, He says that “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.”
Everything comes from the hands of God: life, the air we breathe, what we own, anything and everything. However, when we talk about money, we generally use the expression: “my money.” That is the problem: we think it is “ours.” When a person thinks they possess something, in reality that thing possesses them. Money should not control our hearts and affections.
Richard Foster said that “money has many of the characteristics of deity. It gives us security, can induce guilt, gives us freedom, gives us power and seems to be omnipresent. Most sinister of all, is its bid for omnipotence” (Money, Sex and Power, p. 28).
Mammon claims the loyalty and love that belongs to God alone. Be careful not to become a prisoner in money’s grips. It causes a type of greed that corrupts the heart and turns you away from God.