We ought to be wary of false Gods even now. But some think that as long as we reserve worship to God or to Christ then we have nothing to fear. But I think that's wrong. Worshiping material possessions, worshiping certain men or women such as celebrities or politicians can also fall under the banner of a false God.
Mammon is a false God. It refers to worship of material wealth, richness and money rather than a foreign deity. But worshiping money or putting work and richness above time with your spouse, family, friends and children is to worship Mammon. I find it sad and destructive to value money more than people.
Imagine a man who is a workaholic, his son asks him to play catch one day and the Father can't because he has to go into the office on yet another Saturday he says "I'd love to son if I could find the time I have to work." The son says "It's ok, we'll play later." And keeps this attitude as his Father continually chooses work over time with his son. And the son ultimately wants to be like his Father and learns about life and work from his Father.
Decades later when the boy is grown and has a family of his own, his Father calls and asks to visit his son and the son says "I'd love to Dad if I could find the time." And then as he puts down the phone, the Father realizes his son is just like him. And it saddens the Father greatly, it grieves him to have taught his son the wrong lessons about life.
But where your treasure is your heart will be also as Jesus once said. If we love money that is where our heart will be but if we love people our reward will be much greater and our legacy will be much richer in the lives of those we have touched.
How many of us will regret missing time at work to attend our child's birthday? How many of us, on our death bed, will regret not driving a nicer car or having a larger home? Will we not instead regret not spending more time with our families and friends? Not letting others know without any doubt how much we love them will haunt us to the grave whereas wishing to have made more money will likely not be on our list of regrets when it's out time to die. And I find it tragic if anyone regrets not working more, not sacrificing more time with family to spend at work on their death bed.
Objects were created to be used and people were created to be loved. What I find so wrong about American culture is that objects are loved and people are being used. We have the meaning of life wrong when we make that mistake.
So I think too many people worship Mammon more than God. They love money and possessions more than people. And in so doing make a mockery of God.
Be careful what you value because that's where your heart will be.
To truly honor or worship God one must value and love His children, all of them, even one's enemies. And since we have destroyed the Earth and wildlife in the name of making more money it makes me wish that people cared as much about the Earth as they do about who they think created it because then we would have our own garden of Eden or our own Garden of Babylon.
What if we as a country, as a people, as a species pursued compassion, love and bearing one another's burdens and being our brothers keeper with the same vigor with which we pursue wealth, power and fame? What a work we could have.
God created all people and the Earth and we would do better to honor Him by Honoring, treasuring and loving His creations.
God gave us this Earth and we destroyed it. God has displayed infinite patience with every wrong turn we have made collectively and individually. God values us above all his other creations and some of us refuse to even believe He exists. He sees us kill one another, rape one another, He sees us torture, water board, burn and maim one another. An He loves us still.
All of those behaviors are not indicative of truly worshiping God. We too often treasure material wealth, or our well toned and muscled bodies, our hair and our complexion above all else so I see little room for God in lives like that.
Having nice things is not evil but the things you own end up owning you. And while being lazy if a form of selfishness being a workaholic is also a selfish life. There are many snares we must be aware of in this life. Just be careful of what it is you value since soon enough your heart will rest there as well.
