Let’s read Matthew 6:24, “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” (NKJV). The word “mammon” in this verse refers to “money and materialism.” We have the answer to your question in this verse, for men will serve money because they LOVE MONEY! The Apostle Paul spoke of this in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, “But those who DESIRE TO BE RICH fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For THE LOVE OF MONEY is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their GREEDINESS, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Of course, when we speak of the “love of money” we are speaking of “loving what money can buy and the ability to show off one’s possessions to others to gain their admiration and praise.”

This “love of money” is also seen earlier in Matthew 6:19-21 where the Lord Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves TREASURES ON EARTH, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves TREASURES IN HEAVEN, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO.” Those who “serve mammon (money)” have their HEART set on this goal. They will use all their time, energy, and talents to achieve this goal. But as we saw in verse 24, their main problem is “they DO NOT LOVE GOD” and thus “they DO NOT SERVE GOD.” Two of the main characteristics of the last days of this church age is seen in 2 Timothy 2:2-3 where we read, “For men will be…LOVERS OF MONEY…. LOVERS OF PLEASURE rather than lovers of God.” These two go together for men love money because they love pleasures. Without money men can’t afford to enjoy the pleasures that they love. Notice, it says they are “lovers of pleasures RATHER THAN LOVERS OF GOD.” Just as our verse for today brings out, men “can’t serve God and mammon” because they “will hate the one and love the other.”

In closing, this is a very solemn warning to those who are not saved.  They have no love for God because they have never experienced His love in the salvation He offers to them through His Son. We read in 1 Timothy that the unsaved who love money “fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which DROWN MEN IN DESTRUCTION AND PERDITION.” This focus on money (instead of on God) leads to “eternal destruction” in the lake of fire! We read of this in solemn truth in Matthew 7:13, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that LEADS TO DESTRUCTION.” God loves you and wants you to see that “loving money and pleasures rather than loving God” is taking you to eternal ruin in hell” (see 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 and Revelation 20:15). He then wants you to see His love for you. We read of His wonderful love in 1 John 4:9-10, 19, “In this THE LOVE OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED towards us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but the HE LOVED US and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Once you take your place as a sinner and see that God loves you and sent His Son to die for your sins, you will then LOVE HIM! This is seen a few verses later in verse 19, “We LOVE HIM because He first loved us.” And if you love Him, you will SERVE HIM. Money and all it will buy will lose its charm and you can then concentrate on serving God and “laying up treasures in heaven” instead of “laying up treasures on earth.” God will then be your Master and not money!  (DO)  (634.3)