What is Mammon?

I have been struggling with the scripture in Matthew 6:24 (KJV) that says, "No man can serve two masters...Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  My struggle is this:  I have been blessed as of late with an increased insight into my finances and how to climb my way out of debt. (That is a whole other story).

Many of the books I have been reading on the subject of money and finances have shown me that I am the creator of my debt, and, therefore, I am also the creator of getting out of that debt.  For me to climb out of debt requires that I focus on making money.  I have learned that by focusing on my debt the past few years has actually led me into even more debt.  Thus my dilemma.  If I cannot serve God and mammon (many definitions of mammon say that it means money) then how do I get out of debt if I want to serve God?  I know some who read this already have the answer, and I feel that I have found the answer too.  Here it is:

Mammon has reference to Idolatry, which is the worship of idols.  It also has reference to covetousness, which is the desire for someone else's property.  I think that all would agree that a thief is covetous.  To covet something is to want it without earning it and without a desire to use it for good.  To covet has reference to a state of being greedy.  This is what the dictionary on my Mac spit out about greedy:


greedy |ˈgrēdē|
adjective ( greedier , greediest ) having or showing an intense and selfish desire for something, esp. wealth or power : greedy thieves who plundered a defense contractor.


• having an excessive desire or appetite for food.


DERIVATIVES


greedily |-dəlē| |ˈgrid1li| adverb
greediness |ˈgridin1s| noun


ORIGIN Old English grǣdig, of Germanic origin.


The desire for money and the things it can buy is often associated with Americans. But not all Americans are greedy, which implies an insatiable desire to possess or acquire something, beyond what one needs or deserves (: greedy for profits). Greedy is especially derogatory when the object of longing is itself evil or when it cannot be possessed without harm to oneself or others (: a reporter greedy for information).


Someone who is greedy for food might be called gluttonous, which emphasizes consumption as well as desire (: a gluttonous appetite for sweets).


A greedy child may grow up to be an avaricious adult, which implies a fanatical greediness for money or other valuables.


Rapacious is an even stronger term, with an emphasis on taking things by force (: so rapacious in his desire for land that he forced dozens of families from their homes).


Acquisitive, on the other hand, is a more neutral word suggesting a willingness to exert effort in acquiring things (: an acquisitive woman who filled her house with antiques and artwork), and not necessarily material things (: a probing, acquisitive mind).


Covetous, in contrast to acquisitive, implies an intense desire for something as opposed to the act of acquiring or possessing it. It is often associated with the Ten Commandments (: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife) and suggests a longing for something that rightfully belongs to another.

Jacob (2:18-19), in the Book of Mormon, teaches:

"But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God."

"And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted."

I like how Jacob teaches me that "riches" or money, is simply a tool.  It can be used for good or evil purposes.  I can see how a person who serves mammon cannot use money for good purposes, because all good comes from God.

Because I am human, I know that I need to avoid greed and covetousness by keeping my eye on Christ.

I know that I can serve God and pay off my debts, and make money with intention to use it for His purposes, and not my own. In fact, I have come to realize that because I have the capacity and ability to make money, I have an obligation to do so.  Not only because I need to pay off my debtors, but because I have an an obligation to help and serve others with it as well.

Just to add a note about service.  I once heard a business owner say that his time was his money and justified not giving of his time if he gave his money.  I completely disagree with this.  There is no greater gift you can give than your time.  Time is life.  If you give your time, you give a part of your life.  Benjamin Franklin said, "We give our lives to that which we give our time."  I am keenly aware of my obligation to give of my time regardless of how much money I give and strive to live the admonition given in the Doctrine & Covenants in section 58 verse 27 that reads:

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;"

How can I give of my time in a good cause if I do not have the money to do so?  How can I give of my time if I have to work to pay off debt?

I have an outrageous goal to be completely debt free by December 30, 2013.

I welcome comments.

The Secret

I recently watched a movie called The Secret, and thought I would share my thoughts about its message and how it relates to my experience as a disciple of Christ.  For those who have not seen the movie I recommend watching it as it has some good information in it.

The basic message about The Secret is the Law of Attraction.  I have come to experience this law in my life in profound ways that can only be explained by this law, and yes, I do believe it to be a law just as there is a law of gravity.  Because it is a law, it operates for everyone regardless of their belief system just as the law of gravity.  I have read in numerous posts on the internet about Christians ranting and raving against the movie and its message.  For those of you who disagree with the message, I would ask why you do?

I agree with the message as it pertains to the aspects of the Law of Attraction.  So, how does this law relate to my Experience as a Latter-day Saint?

I believe that God attracts good because He is good, and that Satan (Evil) attracts bad because he is bad.  I believe that all that is good flows toward God and all that is Evil flows toward Satan.  I know from experience that good flows into my life as I think, believe, and act according to God's commandments. I also know the opposite to be true.

So how does this relate to The Secret? (by the way, this was really not a secret before the movie or book came out.  It is in the Bible; Proverbs 23:7.)

For centuries, God's Prophets have been teaching His commandments because of this law!  God knows this law and he knows what beliefs and actions will bring good things into our life, and He knows what beliefs and actions will bring misery.  Like attracts Like!

In the movie, a Feng Shui specialist describes how a male client of hers wanted to date 3 women each week.  The specialist told him how he could attract this into his life, and he followed her advice and it happened for him.  That is the Law of Attraction, but does that mean that God wanted this man to date 3 women each week.  No!  All this means is that he successfully accessed this Law and found three women each week who were also seeking the same thing.  When this man finally wanted to settle down and get married, he set his mind on that end and it was manifest in his life, just as the man who set his mind on moving into his dream house.  No matter what a person focuses on in life, does not absolve them of the need for Christ in their lives.  In fact, because of their knowledge of the law of attraction, I believe that they need Christ in their lives more so now to provide guidance in what to focus on.

The Law of Attraction does not replace Christ in our lives any more than the law of gravity does.  Regardless if I am good or bad, the Law works for me, and that is the beauty of agency.  What I desire (and work toward) will be given to me.  The Lord says over and over again, "Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you."  This goes for seeking Him or seeking our common enemy, the Devil.  If a person is a seeker of truth, he will find it.  If a person is a seeker of the pleasures of this world, he will find them.  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Luke 12:34)

If I treasure poverty, meaning I think about it constantly, that is where my heart will be, and according to the Law of Attraction, poverty and I will be attracted to each other, and will eventually meet unless I choose a different treasure.  I have experienced this in my life the last few years.  I made some seriously bad financial decisions a few years back that devastated mine and my family's financial well-being.  I blamed others, the market, and anything else I could attribute responsibility to.

After a few years, I was reminded about the Law of Attraction, and completely broke down and cried when I realized that I had created my condition.  I finally admitted to myself that it was me, not them, or anything else that created my financial condition.  So I prayed.  I prayed more, and realized something amazing!  I realized that because I created my state of poverty, I had the power to create a state of abundance in my life.  It has been a trying process, because of the many years of living in scarcity, not only in things, but in thought as well.  I have been retraining myself to believe that I am living in abundance, and I have already seen results.  I know that these results would come into my life regardless of my religious beliefs; however, the difference is that because of my faith, I recognize where the Good in my life is coming from - From GOD.