3 Serving Two Masters
If yesterday's reading was rather puzzling, today's is more straightforward:
No-one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 6: 24 [NIV]
The word serve means 'to be a slave of'. A slave was owned by only one master, who would not allow any rival claims of ownership.
As Christians, we have been redeemed – Jesus has paid the price for our sins through his death on the cross. We have been freed from our slavery to sin and now belong to God. But sometimes it doesn't look that way. Sometimes our loyalties are divided. On the surface, we may appear to be committed to God, but deep down other affections govern the way we live our lives.
The rival to God is money, or in the original Greek 'Mammon' or 'wealth'. God asks us: what are you really committed to? Is it to me or is it to yourself? Are you willing to work for my Kingdom, or do you just want to focus on your own needs? You have to decide.
In an age in which the whole direction of people's lives is dominated by climbing the career ladder, acquisition of material goods and never being satisfied, for a Christian to say honestly 'I am fine as I am; I don't need anything' is a tremendous and glorious shock to the non-Christian's system. [John Benton]
Lord God, I am sorry for the ways in which I have lived my life without reference to you. I am sorry for listening to other voices rather than yours. Please help me to love you and put you first in every part of my life. Amen.
David Long
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