“Mammon Detectors” – Four Questions That Reveal If We Are Too Attached To Money

During advent, the high school students and I have been working through a curriculum called Advent Conspiracy. I’ve embedded the short video that highlights what this movement is all about. The idea behind Advent Conspiracy is to reclaim the true purpose of Christmas. The four weeks of advent cover the four themes – Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love all.

This past week we focused on the theme “Spend Less.” We looked at the passage in Matthew 6:19-24 where Jesus says that we cannot worship both God and mammon. The NIV translates mammon as money, but mammon is broader. Mammon refers to anything that we put our hope in that is not God. It includes money and wealth, but it can be other things as well. We asked the question – how do we know when we are serving or worshiping mammon? In other words, how do we know when we are too attached to money and things?

In response to this question I offered our group four “Mammon Detectors.” These “Mammon Detectors,” (originally taught to me by my mentor and teacher Darrell Johnson), are four questions we can ask to determine whether we are too attached to money.

Detector One: What do we turn to for joy in life?
A lot of us turn to material things for joy. If our main response to this question is our material possessions, than this is a good indicator that our hearts are set on money rather than God.

Detector Two: What gives us hope?
If the main thing that gives us hope is the fact that we have lots of money, or that we have a lot of material things to comfort us and entertain us, then this is a good indicator that we have attached too much importance to money.

Detector Three: What do we fear?
A lot of times we are fearful for our possessions. Jesus says in Matthew 6:19-22 that our earthly treasures are not worthy of our allegiance because they are destroyed by moth and rust, and can easily be lost and stolen. A good indication that we are too consumed with our stuff is if we are constantly worried that it will be damaged or stolen. To remedy this Richard Foster suggests that every once and a while we should give away something that we really care about. This is a good discipline that insures we are not too attached to our things.

Detector Four: Does my use of money force me to contradict the gospel?
The reality is that consumerism can hurt ourselves, others, and the environment. It is important ask whether our attachment to money causing us to contradict what Jesus has called us to do. The pursuit of money, for example, can consume our time and prevent us from contributing to the mission of the church. It may also prevent us from giving generously to those in need, or tempt us to buy cheaper products that are produced in ways that harm people and the environment. As my friend Dave pointed out on his blog, sometimes we need to spend well not spend less!

I find that these “mammon detectors,” help us practically expose and confront our tendency towards consumerism. It is easy to agree intellectually that consumerism is a harmful thing; it is quite another thing to expose it in our own life. Exposing the problem is an important first step. Next week I’m going to look at some practical ways that we can work towards eliminating our addiction to consumerism.