神和玛门
或许你听说过，罗马的爱之神是金星维纳斯，战神是火星。对我们许多人来说，这些只不过是一些星球的名字。然而对罗马军队来说，在开战前向火星献祭是至关重要的。一个年轻的罗马青年会向金星祈祷，希望那个将他的心偷走的女人能回报他的爱。
我们对于历史的记忆很短暂，我们大多数人不知道，古代叙利亚的财富之神叫做玛门。耶稣就住在叙利亚的边界旁，所以祂知道玛门神。这是一个虚假的神，代表了对金钱、物质财富、以及金钱可能买到的舒适和权力的热爱。耶稣也清楚，除了造天地的主以外，你不能有别的神，那是偶像崇拜。因此祂说：“你不能又事奉神，又事奉玛门。”
偶像崇拜总是设计到用一种不同的方式来看待世界和做事情。渐渐地，偶像就占据上风。贪婪和忧虑——伴随着许多当今追求富裕的方式——取代了圣经的道德准则。对上帝祝福的平静安稳的信靠也随之消失了。人际关系的破裂和精神上的崩溃有时就是一些迹象，这表明在某种程度上，服事玛门已经取代了服事神。
今天，你在服事谁呢？
主神啊，谋生是我们日常生活的重要组成部分。求你帮助我们单单地事奉你，相信你会赐给我们日用的饮食。阿们。
马太福音 6:19-24
19“不要为自己积攒财宝在地上，地上有虫子咬，能锈坏，也有贼挖窟窿来偷。
20只要积攒财宝在天上，天上没有虫子咬，不能锈坏，也没有贼挖窟窿来偷。
21因为你的财宝在哪里，你的心也在哪里。
22“眼睛就是身上的灯。你的眼睛若了亮，全身就光明；
23你的眼睛若昏花，全身就黑暗。你里头的光若黑暗了，那黑暗是何等大呢！
24“一个人不能侍奉两个主，不是恶这个爱那个，就是重这个轻那个。你们不能又侍奉神，又侍奉玛门。
God And Money
“No one can serve two masters. . . . You cannot serve both God and money.” — Matthew 6:24
Maybe you have heard that the Roman god of love was Venus, and the god of war was Mars. To many of us, those are just the names of a couple of planets. But to a Roman army, it was crucial to sacrifice to Mars and pray for victory before going into battle. And a young Roman man would pray to Venus that the woman who had stolen his heart would return his love.
Our historical memory is short, and most of us don’t know that the ancient Syrian god of wealth and prosperity was called Mammon. Jesus lived just across the border from Syria, and he knew about Mammon. This was a false god that represented the love of money and the material wealth and comforts and power it might buy. Jesus also knew that you cannot have any other god alongside the Creator of heaven and earth. That would be idolatry. Therefore, he said, “You cannot serve both God and Mammon.”
Idolatry always involves a different way of looking at the world and doing business. And gradually the idol takes over. Greed and worry—accompanying so much of the pursuit of prosperity today—replace the moral guidelines of the Bible, and calm trust in God’s blessing disappears along with them. Trampled human relationships and nervous breakdowns are sometimes signs that, somewhere along the line, serving Mammon has squeezed out serving God.
Who are you serving today?
Lord God, earning a living is an important part of our daily life. Help us to serve you alone, and to trust you for our daily bread. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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