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"Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
~Jesus, Gospel of the Holy Twelve"Go fourth and announce the kingdom! Possess no copper or silver or gold. Take no bag or bread or extra garment. Take with you not even a staff" ~Luke 9:1-3
"He who will not have renounced all that he possesses, cannot be My disciple" ~Luke 14:33
MAMMON is a biblical term, Aramaic in origin, that refers to all material wealth or corporeal substance. Its reference is to one's possessions, one's property and equity, and, most importantly, one's spiritual attitude toward all things owned. An important measure of any individual is the way in which that person views the material world around him. The array of personal possessions which enhance and crowd our lives is boundless. People define themselves by what they own and consider wealth and valuable possessions to be a blessing. Success is also often defined in material terms. In contrast, the teaching of the Christ were dedicated to freeing mankind from the slavish pursuits of material mammon.
Of all his messages, none are more specific as to those concerning God and Mammon. Jesus repeatedly tells us that those who engage in material pursuits cannot be righteous nor can they enter the kingdoms of God.
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ~Jesus, Matt 19:24, Mark 10:24, Luke 18:25
No man can serve two masters: Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. ~Jesus, Matt 6:24, Luke 16:13
They worship the Lord, but serve other gods. ~2 Kings 17:33
ONE MUST BE DETACHED FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD
MATERIALISM: The mode by which an individual denies himself the experiences of a spiritual path.
"Do not set your hearts on the godless world or anything in it. Anyone who loves the world is a stranger to the Father's love. Everything the world affords, all that panders to the appetites or entices the eyes, all the glamour of its life, springs not from the Father but from the godless world of man. And that world is passing away with all its allurements, but he who does God's will stands forevermore." John 2:15-17
ONE "GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT" TRANSCENDS THE LOWER NATURE
If you are guided by the Spirit you will not fulfill the desires of your lower nature. That nature sets its desires against the Spirit, while the Spirit fights against it. They are in conflict with one another so that what you will to do you cannot do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law." Gal. 5.16-18
ONE WHO HAS THE SPIRIT TRANSCENDS BODILY DEMANDS
"Our lower nature has no claim upon us; we are not obliged to live on that level. If you do so, you must die. But if by the Spirit you put to death all the base pursuits of the body, then you will live." Roman.8.12-13
RENUNCIATION OF POSSESSIONS
", , , none of you can be a disciple of mine without parting with all his possessions." Luke 14.33
"If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. And come follow Me." Matt. 19.21
SELF-SACRIFICE
"If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must leave self behind; day after day he must take up his cross, and come with me." Luke 9.23. Matt. 16.24. Mark 8.34
" As they were going along the road a man said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus answered, 'Foxes have their holes, the birds their roosts; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.' To another he said, 'Follow me,' but the man replied, 'Let me go and bury my father first.' Jesus said, 'Leave the dead to bury their dead; you must go and announce the kingdom of God.'
"Yet another said, 'I will follow you, sir; but let me first say good-bye to my people at home.' To him Jesus said, 'No one who sets his hand to the plough and then keeps looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.' " Luke 9.57-62
DO NOT ENDEAVOR FOR MATERIAL MAMMON
I bid you put away anxious thoughts about food and drink to keep you alive, and clothes to cover your body. Surely life is more than food, the body more than clothes. Look at the birds of the air; they do no sow and reap and store in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. You are worth more than the birds, and why be anxious about clothes. Consider how the lilies grow in the fields; they do not toil, they do not spin; and yet, I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was not attired like one of these. But if that is how God clothes the grass in the fields, which is there today, and tomorrow is thrown on the stove, will he not all the more clothe you? How little faith you have! No, do not ask anxiously, 'What are we to eat? What are we to drink? What shall we wear?' All these are things for the heathen to run after, not for you, because your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your mind on God's kingdom and his justice before everything else, and all the rest will come to you as well. So do not be anxious about tomorrow; tomorrow will look after itself. Each day has troubles enough of its own." Matt 6.25-34
Become Passers-by ~Jesus, Gospel of Thomas
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