He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch (Proverbs 11:28).
Many in the modern Church in the west think that money is a sign of "blessing". They like to say, "God has blessed me with a new car", "I am so blessed with a new house, or even "we [local church] are so blessed to have a new building", despite being in millions of dollars of debt for a "newer", "bigger", "better" building. Such is the case of many in the western Church who are totally under the spirit of mammon, and do not even realise it.
People from "protest"-ant denominations love to quote how countries with a former "protest"-ant influence are richer and more educated, as if it was sign that shows how good the Christian faith is for the world, and why the unsaved should believe in Christ. We might not think that that is the spirit which which such a statement is normally made, but that is often the case.
That is exactly what the problem is: to think that money is a sign of God's blessing for one's righteousness. Such thinking is not only a sign of self-righteousness, but is utter heresy. It is the heresy that one earns earthly blessings by being more holy and righteous.
Money does not only make people smug and proud. It makes people self-righteous, in thinking that they have more money than others because they 'deserve' it more than others. This explains why so many people assume that a homeless person simply deserves it, because of his own wrongdoing. They think they are more righteous, whether they be saved or unsaved, because it is their own goodness that gave them their wealth, which they think they must have deserved.
As a result, it causes one to think that the money one earns is by one's own strength, when it is not, but rather, by God's grace. A person with such an mindset will, not might, but will be covetous of others who have or who he perceives to have more than himself, because of its pride in believing himself entitled to what he wants.
He is not content, and therefore covets what others have:
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5).
Such a mindset leads to the belief that one is more righteous, superior, and more deserving because one has more than others. It lead one to despise those who have less materially but are more joyful, because it seeks joy from money, but cannot.
That is why the happy and righteous poor in particular are despised by slaves to mammon, because they not only challenge their thinking that money does not bring happiness. They testify that the joy the slaves to mammon seek is not deserved by such people, precisely because they are seeking joy from mammon. As such, such slaves to mammon think the happy and righteous poor steal their joy from them, literally, as they think only they deserve joy, but that those who have less money than them do not.
Such hatred is a curse on those who love mammon, and hate God. For they seek joy independently of God, hating God and loving mammon, only to be filled with envy and covetousness.
To think one deserves anything good at all is sin in and of itself, and the utter height of all pride, as none of us deserve anything good at all. We all deserve nothing except for Eternity in Hell (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).
To Hell with your love of mammon! To Hell with those who think they deserve joy when seeking joy from mammon, and yet have such audacious pride hate those who are filled with joy because they love God and hate mammon!
Many in the modern Church in the west think that money is a sign of "blessing". They like to say, "God has blessed me with a new car", "I am so blessed with a new house, or even "we [local church] are so blessed to have a new building", despite being in millions of dollars of debt for a "newer", "bigger", "better" building. Such is the case of many in the western Church who are totally under the spirit of mammon, and do not even realise it.
People from "protest"-ant denominations love to quote how countries with a former "protest"-ant influence are richer and more educated, as if it was sign that shows how good the Christian faith is for the world, and why the unsaved should believe in Christ. We might not think that that is the spirit which which such a statement is normally made, but that is often the case.
That is exactly what the problem is: to think that money is a sign of God's blessing for one's righteousness. Such thinking is not only a sign of self-righteousness, but is utter heresy. It is the heresy that one earns earthly blessings by being more holy and righteous.
Money does not only make people smug and proud. It makes people self-righteous, in thinking that they have more money than others because they 'deserve' it more than others. This explains why so many people assume that a homeless person simply deserves it, because of his own wrongdoing. They think they are more righteous, whether they be saved or unsaved, because it is their own goodness that gave them their wealth, which they think they must have deserved.
As a result, it causes one to think that the money one earns is by one's own strength, when it is not, but rather, by God's grace. A person with such an mindset will, not might, but will be covetous of others who have or who he perceives to have more than himself, because of its pride in believing himself entitled to what he wants.
He is not content, and therefore covets what others have:
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5).
Such a mindset leads to the belief that one is more righteous, superior, and more deserving because one has more than others. It lead one to despise those who have less materially but are more joyful, because it seeks joy from money, but cannot.
That is why the happy and righteous poor in particular are despised by slaves to mammon, because they not only challenge their thinking that money does not bring happiness. They testify that the joy the slaves to mammon seek is not deserved by such people, precisely because they are seeking joy from mammon. As such, such slaves to mammon think the happy and righteous poor steal their joy from them, literally, as they think only they deserve joy, but that those who have less money than them do not.
Such hatred is a curse on those who love mammon, and hate God. For they seek joy independently of God, hating God and loving mammon, only to be filled with envy and covetousness.
To think one deserves anything good at all is sin in and of itself, and the utter height of all pride, as none of us deserve anything good at all. We all deserve nothing except for Eternity in Hell (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).
To Hell with your love of mammon! To Hell with those who think they deserve joy when seeking joy from mammon, and yet have such audacious pride hate those who are filled with joy because they love God and hate mammon!
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