The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum How do we serve money?!?!?

Our Lord Jesus and the Apostle Matthew have provided us with the following portion of Holy Scripture:

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. <span style="background-color:#FFFF00">You cannot serve God and money.</span>"[Matthew 6:19-24 ESV]

My question: How do we fallen sinners (inappropriately, of course) serve money?

Yours in seeking greater understanding of God's most precious Word,
Ted

How do we not serve money? We put money before people. We put our own wants before the needs (monetary) of others. We live for profit and not for good.

Yeah, that's good. I understand that, I think. Thank you!

But . . . . . I'm trying to look at it from the angle of the word "serve."

As in, "How do we serve money?!?"

I looked in the dictionary under the word "serve" and found these definitions:

intransitive senses
1 a : to be a servant b : to do military or naval service
2 : to assist a celebrant as server at mass
3 a : to be of use <in a day when few people could write, seals served as signatures -- Elizabeth W. King> b : to be favorable, opportune, or convenient c : to be worthy of reliance or trust <if memory serves> d : to hold an office : discharge a duty or function <serve on a jury>
4 : to prove adequate or satisfactory : SUFFICE
5 : to help persons to food: as a : to wait at table b : to set out portions of food or drink
6 : to wait on customers
7 : to put the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games (as tennis, volleyball, or badminton)

transitive senses
1 a : to be a servant to : ATTEND b : to give the service and respect due to (a superior) c : to comply with the commands or demands of : GRATIFY d : to give military or naval service to e : to perform the duties of (an office or post)
2 : to act as server at (mass)
3 archaic : to pay a lover's or suitor's court to (a lady) <that gentle lady, whom I love and serve -- Edmund Spenser>
4 a : to work through (a term of service ) b : to put in (a term of imprisonment)
5 a : to wait on at table b : to bring (food) to a diner c : PRESENT, PROVIDE -- usually used with up <the novel served up many laughs>
6 a : to furnish or supply with something needed or desired b : to wait on (a customer) in a store c : to furnish professional service to
7 a : to answer the needs of b : to be enough for : SUFFICE c : to contribute or conduce to : PROMOTE
8 : to treat or act toward in a specified way <he served me ill>
9 a : to bring to notice, deliver, or execute as required by law b : to make legal service upon (a person named in a process)
10 of a male animal : to copulate with
11 : to wind yarn or wire tightly around (a rope or stay) for protection
12 : to provide services that benefit or help
13 : to put (the ball or shuttlecock) in play (as in tennis or badminton)

Most of those don't seem to really apply here. And . . . the most common ones -- like "to wait on customers" or "to act as a server" -- CLEARLY don't apply.

And I know that God has a purpose for EVERY word that He has recorded in the Bible, so . . . . . I am seeking to understand this passage of scripture better by seeking, first, to understand how Jesus was using this word "serve."

Does that make sense?

So . . . . how does Jesus see us serving money?!?

Thanks for your help!

Continuing to seek to understand HIS Word,
Ted

Here's a further clarification . . . .

These are questions that I've read elsewhere: "How does a person serve money? He does not assist money. He is not the benefactor of money. How then do we serve money?"

Actually Ted, I thought that some of those definitions of the word, "serve" fit quite well. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/scratchchin.gif" alt="" />

Perhaps you are trying to make more out this admonition than you should or is necessary. I think on the most basic level, one "serves" money when money is the overriding quest; i.e., that which is predominant in one's decision making. Let me try and give just a few simple examples. One one side of the issue are those obvious individuals who strive to make as much money as they can by any means they can, e.g., thieves, drug dealers, lawyers <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/rofl.gif" alt="" />, etc. On the other side the mother who buys inferior clothes for her children, even though she can afford to buy much better which will fit and feel better but also last much longer, just so she can save a few pennies to spend on herself is equally guilty of being a servant to money. I suppose one could come up with an endless list of the ways one can "serve" money, since the "love of money is the root of ALL evil", according to Paul. (1Tim 6:10)

Hopefully that will give you something to ponder! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/Ponder.gif" alt="" />

In His Grace,

Ted:


The question, IMO, is who serves whom? Does money serve you...or are you the servant of money? Do you attempt to aquire money so that you can do the things that God would have you to do to further His ends...or do you aquire money so that you can have a new Lexus...Cadillac....BMW... get a new Gateway 825GM computer with ¼ Terabyte Hard Drive (my downfall).... whatever..?..to lavish it upon yourself. Maybe...build a bigger barn to hold all the stuff. (Luke 12:15ff) “Beware of covetousness”.

You remember the rich young ruler...whom Jesus said to sell what he had and give to the poor....he was a slave to money! He was definitely only going to serve one master...and it wasn’t Jesus. He had deified money! It was his master. (Luke 18:18ff)

If you ever stop by TBN, (God forbid)..you will see religious folks one after the other that seem to have only one thing on their mind.....MONEY. They’ve become slaves to money. It really appears to be an addiction with some.
I wonder if I should really blame them for their greediness or the biblically illiterate that send them their money.

Bottom line...(literally) money is supposed to be just another tool for the child of God to use to bring glory to Him.

Dave

Thank you all for your replies. They’ve been very helpful. To recap:

The passage of scripture that we’ve been primarily looking at is Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money."

Ok, now I’d like to look at this from the other side of the coin . . . . . .

Based on what I’ve learned so far about how fallen human beings serve money, I’d like to try to apply those items to how I should serve God (because . . . that IS what Jesus was really trying to teach us . . . . right?):


Therefore, using that “definition” of service to God, I can say,

1. I serve God by putting God before people.

Ok. I’ll buy that.


Therefore, using that “definition” of service to God, I can say,

2. I serve God when God is the overriding quest; i.e., that which is predominant in my decision-making.

Good. I like that one, too.


Therefore, using that question as a benchmark, if you will, for service to God, I can say,

3. I should ask myself the question, “Does God serve me . . . or do I serve God?”

Valid question, IMO.

Putting this all together (so far), I have:

1. I serve God by putting God before people;
2. I serve God when God is the overriding quest; i.e., that which is predominant in my decision-making; and
3. I should ask myself the question, “Does God serve me . . . or do I serve God?”

Am I on the right track here?!?

Inquisitively seeking to understand this particular passage of scripture,
Ted