Casting Pearls- Faith or Mammon, Which do we serve?

                     In Matthew 6:24 we find that Jesus is telling us that we have a choice of serving God, or Money. EIther we serve one or the other, they are not mutually exclusive but both are very different. We must either serve one or the other. Which ever one we serve, we must HATE the other to serve the one. God's ministry must needs have money to reach out in this world, and if we love money, we HATE and shortchange God. God is the original maker of money, or mammon, and all things in this world, so you must love the maker or the thing he made. In 1Timothy 6:17 the Bible says to tell them that are rich in the things of this world, that they should not be high  minded and trust in their riches, but rather trust in God who gives us everything we have. Or James 4:4 which states that we act like a cheating spouse when we give our allegiance to the things of this world instead of Christ. To love the things of this world that you have more than God, who made them, is the same as being an enemy of God's.
                     Then we go on to Matthew 6:25-28 where Jesus says that we should not worry about the things of this life. Our food, drink, and even clothes will be provided, if we only trust in the Lord and let Him have control. Jesus gives the examples of birds, and then  later on of the flowers. neither really work or plant but both are well fed and clothed beautifully. If you think of the most finest dressed person you know, are the flowers not more beautiful than they are? Jesus gives the example of Solomon in verse 29 as he was the richest and most fancily dressed man from that time. In verse 30 Jesus says if God clothes even the grass in the field so beautifully and feeds it so well, when it will only be here for a short time then burned up or used as food for the sheep, do we not think He will not do the same for us? In Job 38:41 the Bible states that ' doesn't the Lord even feed the ravens and their young? If one of them were to cry out in hunger, God would even hear them. '
                      In verse 31, the Bible quotes Jesus as saying, that we should not take up our time even thinking on the food or clothes or drink for the day ahead, as will provide all we are in need of. Thinking and worrying about such things will not help us or anybody else, neither will it provide any of it for us. We see in  verse 32, the Bible says, the things of this world is what  the world seeks after, and we should keep our minds on God's riches and save up in our heavenly account instead  of here. The things God provides to us here, in this life, are only to be used by us in the building up of God's kingdom, not ours. That leads us to verses 33&34  where Jesus says that we are not to plan for tomorrow or worry about it, not to say planning is a bad thing altogether, but if we worry about any of it we are showing a lack of faith in God!  It is fine to plan if this and tis and this happen, then I'll do that, but don't let it become your sole focus. Let God be the one in control. Some people say I gave control of it to God and nothing great happened, well maybe you didn't give up complete control of things to God. Did you give up control of your funds, your things, yourself, Your provisions? the common theme in all these things is YOU! YOUr funds, YOUr things, YOUr provisions, YOUrself. The main problem with giving God control is YOU.
                     There was a man in England who was raised on the 'wrong side of the tracks' so to speak, named George Mueller 1805-1898, Who was not the greatest Christian to begin with, and even got in some trouble as a youth, then when he was a young man, he was sent to be trained in a Christian college by his father and try and become an evangelist, after going to college and not having enough money to pay the tuition he broke down and actually began to pray to the God who he had before just made fun of, Soon a knock came at his bedroom door and it was a servant of the proctor of the college, asking him to become a tutor and the job would pay enough to cover all his upcoming college expenses, This is when the trust in prayer to God began. Mr. Muller was known for having started over ten different orphanages with over Ten thousand children having grown up in them. He never ran an ad to hire someone or tried to get donations from people, he merely prayed for God to provide, and He did. The part in the Lord's prayer about give us this day our daily bread, was personified in his actions. For over forty years he ran the various orphanages and started almost 120, Christian schools which educated over 120,000  children. Never once asking anyone for funds or help with the exception only of God Himself. Later at the age of 70, having outlived his first wife and getting remarried, he began 17 years of missionary evangelism.
                   Mr. Muller traveled all around Europe and overseas to Canada and the United States, preaching and spreading God's Word. He paid his own fare for traveling from the unsolicited gifts given him on his travels, and even once or twice had someone pay for him to travel on to his next stop. In one well known and documented instance, Mr. Muller had the headmistress of one of the orphanages bring the some 130 children in to the dining room for breakfast, though nothing had arrived yet for them to eat. He prayed and thanked God for the food they were about to receive, and right after he finished praying, the doorbell rang, it was the local baker, who explained that he woke up a 3am feeling as though he should bake some bread and bring it to the orphanage. Soon afterwards a milk delivery man came up and said his wagon wheel had broken on his wagon and all the milk he had with him would ruin before anyone could come and fix it, so would they want five large canisters of milk which just filled 130 glasses. After breakfast each day was a time given to bible reading and prayer and every child upon leaving the orphanage, was given a small tin trunk with two changes of clothes and a Bible.
                  Would that we all had that kind of faith in God and all that He provides. If we can move YOU out of the way God is more than able to provide.