No servant can be slave to two masters, for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You cant be a slave to both God and money. (Luk 16:13 CJB) I like the way the Complete Jewish Bible translates this verse. Notice it uses the word slave rather than serve. It really drives the point home. YOU CANT BE A SLAVE TO TWO MASTERS....YOU CANT BE A SLAVE TO BOTH GOD AND MONEY. That is impossible to do because you can only be a slave to one master. For the love of money is a root of all the evils; because of this craving, some people have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves to the heart with many pains. (1Ti 6:10 CJB) This verse explains why it is impossible to be a slave of two masters. Why? Love of money is a root. We know what a root is, its the part of the plant or tree that feeds it. Love of money, even just a little bit, open the door for evil in our lives. Evil is the absence of good. Notice what happened to some people who have let just a little in their lives. Keep your lives free from the love of money; and be satisfied with what you have; for God himself has said, I will never fail you or abandon you. (Heb 13:5 CJB) To prevent evil in our lives the passages says be satisfied (be content) with what you have. It is not saying that we are to be poor for the cause or that we should not be rich. It is saying be content and then it tells us why. BECAUSE IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES/SITUATIONS GOD HAS PROMISED HE IS NOT GOING TO FAIL US AND HE IS NOT GOING TO ABANDON US. God is our provider and He is not going to fail to provide, He is not going to abandon us in any circumstance whether we are rich or poor. Jesus warned us to be on guard against wanting/desires/covetousness. Why? Because a persons eternal life is not out of, or from, his possessions. (my translation from the Greek text). Love, faithfulness, goodness, righteousness...these are the kinds of eternal treasures we should be laying up for ourselves in heaven. Paul said it didnt matter what were the circumstances in his life, he had learned the secret of contentment, and no matter what, he knew he could do all things through Christ who gave him the strength to go through the circumstances. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Phi 4:12-13 NAS)
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 17:18:39 +0000