Word for Wednesday #6

Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

I used to read this scripture, and I thought the word mammon meant man.  But then my husband enlightened me.  Did you know that the word mammon actually means wealth?  As in money?  That gives this scripture a whole new meaning!  You cannot serve God and money.  As Christmas approaches, I find myself getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of gift giving.  It's so easy to start serving money without even realizing it!  It's so easy to spend more than we have budgeted for, which means credit card debt or not enough money for other important things.  Why do we think that someone will love us more if we buy them a more expensive gift (which they probably won't even remember by next year).

Let's make a conscious decision to serve God this Christmas!  Gift giving is a wonderful thing, but let's remember that the reason we give gifts is to show people that we care about them.  I think it would be a wonderful idea to buy a gift for someone in need too, or make a donation to a homeless shelter or another charity.  Don't forget about the bell ringers too!  In the end, it all comes down to this: our money is not really our own anyway, it's God's!