Twin Peaks

The scripture for today is Luke 16:13

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Masters with two conflicting world views and direction for service will present a problem for any servant who tries to satisfy both. Jesus puts before His disciples the two masters who vie for the service of men and women; God and mammon. Mammon is riches or the world. "We cannot serve God and the world both, and seek them as our chief good and ultimate end, because no man can divide his heart between God and the world." William Burkitt  Simply put, we cannot serve the world and be free in Christ.  

The primary motivation for accumulating riches is based in fear. While most will deny it, behind the desire to build wealth is the spirit of fear; fear of lack, fear of failure, fear of powerlessness, fear of not being highly esteemed. Fear plays unconsciously upon the mind and influences our thinking. It may be camouflaged as some other rational endeavor but underneath the outer layer of rationalization is the fear of negative outcomes if we do not pursue the things of the world. The lust of the flesh is based in the fear of being unable to attain through the righteous provision of God that which is most desired. Normal needs become perverted through fear which will eventually dictate actions that do not fulfill but rather increase the fear and incite more lust.

Serving God is fulfilled through faith. When we come to the place of unconditional surrender to the will of God, irrespective of what that will is, we learn to live a life of faith. It is a life that is free from fear; it provides fulfillment and joy. Too many of us try to live life straddling the fence. Yes, we can serve two masters we seem to say. Then we go about trying to prove it by compartmentalizing our lives in a vain attempt to serve multiple masters. Jesus said that it could not be done. That kind of life will only build disdain for the things we try to do out of a sense of duty or obligation. While in your actions you appear to be doing good things, they are only the veneer that covers a heart that lusts for the world and despises the time spent pretending to be something that you are not. "You cannot serve God and Mammon."  

Our choice to serve God must be a choice that we make without reservation or holding back. It requires a complete surrender of self to the will of God. If we are not completely surrendered to God, we are not at all surrendered to Him. If our choice is to serve Him, the world and all of its attractions must be surrendered to Him as well. It is not as if we are losing anything when we surrender worldly fears, desires and lusts to God. In fact, by doing so, we gain more riches than this world could ever provide. The world or God; that is the choice that we have to make. If we hear the voice of the Lord, it is not a difficult choice at all. 

God bless you as you continue in His service.

Tim