For the love of money is the root of all evil:
1 Timothy 6:10a
I saw this tweet and it got my gears turning and I had to reply to Jordan Peterson’s reply.
Now I think I understand where Jordan Peterson is coming from. He is (rightfully in my opinion)(also if what I’ve seen from him in all his other writings and videos that I’ve read or seen) trying not to be too quick to tear down traditions that are ages old and are cornerstones of our civilization.
It does seem that we are going to chase what we love. It may even be that is part of the definition of love.
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matt 22:36-40
That is why we are told to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Matt 6:33
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1 John 2:15-17
Money is an interesting thing.. and really the word in the bible was mammon .
I don’t really like Wikipedia because they don’t seem to always have editors that have the pursuit of truth as their highest moral but this article seem good. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammon
Money seems to be a distilled version of all of the other things in life to which we collectively give value. It has value because we say ,or someone said, it has value and therefor we believe it has value and everyone comes to agree that it has value so we trade with it. This is true about everything that you can buy with money as well: Gold, Barley, Stocks, Cars, Land, ect (till you list everything in the universe.)
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
When you’re hungry you don’t want gold, you want food. You’ll trade gold for food. Food is more valuable than gold at that time for you. To someone who has an abundance of food, gold can be more valuable and it has been historically. How much is the gold worth to you if you have food. Will you ask the person to give all their gold for one bowl of soup?
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
Genesis 25:29-34
The Kingdom of God is our Birthright when we are born again. It is our inheritance
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Matthew 25:34-40
Maybe this word can be the trumpet for you and me so we can rise incorruptible
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
What do we value?
What are we chasing after?
What are we hungry for?