God or Mammon

Jesus never said money was evil, but He did warn those who were investing in the Mount of Accumulation  to be careful.  It is in that section of Scripture known as the Sermon on the Mount that we hear Him saying, "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealth."  (Matthew 6:24).  According to Jesus, there is nothing wrong with having wealth.  The important thing is to be sure the wealth does not have us.  Money can be a problem for the poor man who only has a coin or two in the pocket just as a great portfolio of investments can be a problem for the wealthy.  

When we hold our money in our hand, what is really important is not the amount we see, but the attitude we have toward it in our heart.  Mark 12:41-44 tells the story of Jesus watching the giving of a widow who only had two small coins and the rich who gave large sums.  Jesus points to her as the one who carried the right attitude in her heart.  She could give everything because she knew God would take care of tomorrow.  The rich gave a lot but it was not enough to put themselves at risk for tomorrow.  If God did not come through, they had enough put back to take care of tomorrow.

Does the way we accumulate and give reflect anything about our faith in God?  Does our tight hold on the money in our hands speak of the hold it has on us?   Money did not have such a hold on the poor widow that she could not be generous in giving to God.  She knew God could be counted on to take care of her tomorrow.  On the other hand, the rich gave a lot, but it was out of their abundance.   What they gave they never missed.  They kept back enough to weather any of tomorrow's storms.  In the final analysis, giving answers the question, "Who do I trust?"