It’s Not About Money
Regular guest Rev. Ray Borg joins Dave and Reb in today’s discussion about God and mammon. In a recent book Ray co-wrote with colleague Jan Kupecz called It’s Not About the Money – unmasking mammon, they bring to light the words of Christ from Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 warning people that you “cannot serve God and mammon.”
Mammon is a word that some people interchange with money, but it means much more than that. It is a word from ancient times with its origins in Aramaic, and long ago was an idol of worship. However, there are many more aspects to this entity, and Ray points out that mammon is the spirit of the world, which lies to us daily about what is important, what is to be valued and how we are to live our lives.
While their book identifies mammon and how it influences our culture, their focus is on discipleship and how stewardship is a part of our discipleship journey with Christ. Our financial journey isn’t about the money but about discipleship, and surrendering all that we are and all that we have to God.
“There are two main themes in the Bible: redemption and stewardship,” Ray says. “Redemption is God reaching out to save us and stewardship is our response.”
Dave believes that this is an important topic to discuss because it is not something people talk about, or even understand.
“What does Jesus mean when he says you cannot serve God and mammon?” he asks. “This question forces us to take a deep look at our lives and our bank accounts to see if what we say we believe is truly reflected in our active lives. Is our belief reflected in our stewardship?”
Their discussion is the first of many Dave and Reb will be having with Ray over the next few months, as they talk about the influence of mammon, and how a life of generosity and stewardship helps us hold back the mammon-tide in our daily lives.
The book is yet to be released, but to learn more about how you can order a copy, go to www.financialdiscipleship.ca.