The Blessed Life is a book written Robert Morris. He talks about a crucial weed that chokes out the truth of God, the teachings of God, the Word in our life – that weed or thorny vine is called mammon – greed – the love of money which supersedes the love of the Lord Jesus. It’s a real weed and it’s always trying to take root in the soil were seeds of faith are trying to grow.
1. It grows quick and if allowed to keep growing will choke out the spiritual truths of Jesus.
2. Robert says this about that evil spiritual weed “Mammon:
a. “…John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost. If you were one of them (who read it), you know this poem painted a pretty detailed portrait of hell. In it, Milton showed Satan as a fallen commander in chief surrounded by his demon generals. Among them are Moloch, Dagon, Astarte, Osiris and Belial. Each of these, of course, was the god of an idol-worshipping culture in ancient times and is mentioned in the Bible. But Milton’s poem depicts another demon standing at Satan’s side. That demon’s name is Mammon. You may recognize “mammon” as a New Testament word. Jesus mentions it in a couple of places. For example in Matthew 6, Jesus declares: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (vs. 24). After reading this verse, you can see why Milton would lump a demon named Mammon in with all those Old Testament idols. Jesus clearly suggests that it is possible to serve mammon instead of serving God, but he goes even farther: Jesus states it is impossible to serve both at the same time. He says that you will love the one and hate the other. You will be loyal to one and despise the other. According to Jesus, there is no middle ground-no half-and-half. Mammon, apparently is a jealous god…But just what is mammon? “Mammon” is an Aramaic word that essentially means “riches.” And, apparently, the Assyrians got the concept of a god of wealth from their neighbors, the Babylonians…In the biblical sense of the word, mammon is the spirit that rests on money. Did you know that all money has a spirit on it? It either has the Spirit of God on it or the spirit of mammon. Money that is submitted to God and His purposes has the Spirit of God on it-which is why it multiplies and cannot be consumed by the devourer. I’m convinced that money that has been submitted to God – wealth that is devoted to serving Him rather than trying to replace Him-is blessed by God. In a very real sense, God’s Spirit blesses it. On the other hand, money that is not submitted to God has the spirit of mammon on it by default. That’s why people so often try to use money to control or manipulate others. It’s why people think money can bring happiness or fulfillment. Mammon is basically the spirit of the world-and the spirit is a liar” (Pages 75-77).