“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Nothing like jumping into a verse like this on the second week of the foundation verses but what a verse it is!
Remember, God told us last week (Foundation Verse #1) that HE created everything and now HE is telling us that we have a choice. We have a choice to choose between HIM or money.
The word “serve” here indicates the work of a slave. Since a slave is the sole property of one master, he must give the master exclusive service. This verse is telling us that we are either going to be a slave to Jesus Christ or we are going to be a slave to money.
The last part of this verse is very, very clear – a person CAN NOT serve both God and money!
Materialism will do the following to a person:
- Enslave the heart – Matthew 6:19-21
- Enslave the mind – Matthew 6:22-23
- Enslave the will – Matthew 6:24
It is important for us to not only look at this verse but look at the verses preceding this verse. These verses are talking about laying up treasures in heaven. Verse 21 tells us,
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also
Let me encourage you today to not place your trust (or your heart, mind or will) in money!
Charles Spurgeon said it like this:
God and the world will never agree, and however much we may attempt it, we shall never be able to serve both. Our danger is that in trying to gain money, or in the pursuit of any other object, we should put it out of its place, and allow it to get the mastery of our mind. Gain and godliness cannot both be masters of our souls: we can serve two, but not “two masters. ” You can live for this world, or live for the next; but to live equally for both is impossible. Where God reigns, the lust of gain must go.
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