Reading the Word

Matthew 6:24 (ESV) — 24 “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.

Understanding and Applying the Word

We can only have one primary devotion. We may try to have more, but at some point it will become necessary to choose between them and only one can come out on top. Jesus tells us that we must serve God and everything else must come after, including money.

Many of us, if we admit it, try to prove Jesus’ words wrong. We try to have a split devotion between God and money. When we take a new job, what is the reason for taking one position over another? It is almost always money and almost never based on which gives us the best opportunity to serve the Lord. We buy newer and bigger things even though we do not need them, as the old was sufficient. And the list goes on and on as we prioritize money in our lives.

Think about the words of Matthew Henry reflecting on a time he was robbed:

Lord, I thank you that I have never been robbed before; that although they took my money, they spared my life; that although they took everything, it wasn’t very much; that it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.

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