Serving the Right Master

No servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.  –Luke 16:13 

Serving the Lord and storing up treasure in heaven as Jesus instructed us to do is always a good idea.  However, many people, even Christians, do not have a firm grasp on what this means, especially the latter commandment.  One Sunday evening during a sermon I pointed out that failing to store up treasure in heaven is like planning for retirement by purchasing lottery tickets.  Truly this would be an insecure way of planning for the future.  Jesus made it clear that when our priorities are on serving Him, then our way will be secure as will be our future.  When we make that faith decision to serve the Lord and do all that He has commanded and called us to do, then we are on the path to storing up treasure in heaven.

Back to that lottery situation I mentioned.  The lure of the lottery is the possibility, however, remote, that the purchaser of the ticker will win millions of dollars.  Someone said to me once, “Well, someone has to win.”  I replied, “That’s true, but it won’t be you.”  Any one of us is far more likely to be struck by lightning than win the lottery.  Sadly, even those who have won millions of dollars found out all too soon that those millions brought a curse to their lives.  Many lottery winners squandered the money, overspent, found themselves heavily in debt, became at odds with their loved ones, and in the end wished they had never won all that money. 

Jesus cautioned us on the impossibility of trying to serve two masters.  We will eventually love one and hate the other.  If our top priority is making money and hoarding it away, then we will become miserable, miserly, and without peace in the world.  However, when we place Jesus Christ first in our lives we discover the joy of serving him, walking with Him, and helping those around us who are in need.  The Lord knows we have financial needs, and as we walk with Christ, work diligently, and make wise financial decisions, He will bless us in some marvelous ways. 

By serving Christ we come to understand the blessings that all the money in the world cannot buy.  We have blessed peace, love in our hearts, joy in the midst of life’s storms, and the light of Christ shining from our lives.  We reach out in love to those around us: encouraging, helping, serving, witnessing, and living as the Lord has said.  All the while we are storing up a treasure in heaven that will be waiting when we get there. 

Who will be the master of our lives?  Will it be Christ or our bank account?  Choose to serve the Lord and you will not be disappointed.  

Trust in Him today.