Matthew 6:24 states, “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.”
We serve the one that rules us. Recently, I was asked how to identify an idol in one’s life. My response was that we begin to see our idols when they are challenged or taken away, leading us to feel anger. It becomes evident that our identity is wrapped up in something when its removal causes us to question who we are. If our identity is tied to status, position, or possessions, their loss can reveal that these things have become idols (Matthew 16:25).
Can we lose Christ? If I aim to do everything for the glory of the Lord, then my identity must be in Christ—His purpose, His way, His will. If a status, position, or object is taken away, it could serve the explicit purpose of bringing glory to God and ultimately benefiting me.
Consider the story of Job. He lost everything yet pressed on. He did not curse God and die, as his wife suggested. Instead, Job made an incredible statement at the end of his trials:
Job 42:4-6: “Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
Everything Job endured deepened his relationship with God and matured his identity in Christ (Romans 5:3-5).
Listen to the words given to Isaiah:
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me, no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.” (Isaiah 43:10)
- You are my witness.
- You are my servant.
- So that you may know me.
- So that you may believe me.
- So that you understand I am He.
The purpose of witnessing and serving is ultimately to know God. Our lives are not our own; they are not for our glory, but rather to live as servants of righteousness giving glory to God. Our Master is loving and desires what is best for us. This is the greatest motivating factor in our lives, the love of God, which compels us to act (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 John 4:8).
You can only serve one master—one leads to death, the other to life. What will you choose today?
Romans 6:17-18: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
Giving up these worldly desires is a small price to pay when you consider what God has in store for us. I had a friend who once put it to me like this, he pointed to the length of my kitchen floor (which was pretty long in that cruddy house) and said “Imagine the length of this floor represents the length of your life after death”, he then set a single rice krispy on the ground at the edge of the floor and said, “that rice krispy represents your life on earth, and everything you do in that rice krispy dictates all of that life after death.” Looking at the comparison really helped me to put things into perspective. We are given a short time on this earth, and what we do with this life affects eternity afterwards. We must remain focused on the prize. We must run this race with endurance. Heb 12:1.
When I took the Christian Financial Ministry course; Matthew 6:24 was one of the main verses we discussed.
We had many conversations about greed vs preparedness and it’s definitely something that can challenge us.
I’ve traveled enough outside of America to see how greedy of a country we have become. Too many of us trust IN the dollar instead of reading what’s written ON it.
“In God we Trust”
The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) teaches us that the more we trust in what God has given us to serve others the more he will reward us for using those talents.