Matthew 6:24 No man 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
This passage of scripture teaches us a vital truth that should be given due consideration by all Christians, the fact that we cannot serve God and mammon at the same time, for the two concepts are diabolically opposed and can never be integrated to work in harmony together. Mammon here spoken of refers to the god of this world which is money, and the inordinate pursuit of it and all that it can purchase. Now it's worthy of note that the passage for today is not saying that as Christians we must have nothing to do with money, or gaining a livelihood, for the same Bible also tells us that we must be found faithful in the unrighteous mammon, if we are ever to be entrusted with eternal riches. Let's read:
Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
The problem with serving mammon is when we become attached and enslaved by it to the point where it governs our actions and decision making processes. It is a fact that we all will have to face sooner or later, that there are times when the principles of God's kingdom and the unrighteous mammon collide head on, and we are thereby forced to make a choice on whether to choose right over wrong, or good over evil. Profit and righteousness do not always go hand in hand, and whenever a situation is brought to a head where the Christian must choose between pecuniary loss or doing right, the decision to follow the ways of God should be firm and resolute, regardless of consequences.
For instance, tax season is here again, and Christians as well as secularists will be tempted to make claims on their tax returns that are not true, and if the decision is made to file fraudulent tax returns, it will most likely pay large financial dividends, if mammon is the ruling deity in our lives. Those aunts and uncles, in-laws and outlaws who come to visit us from never land during the tax season must be resolutely refused an abode on our tax returns, if we are to serve God alone. Here is one of the areas where the rubber meets the road in a practical way, when we have to make deliberate choices between profit and loss, if it comes to that in the filing of our taxes. These choices in real life actually reveal who is our real master, and if we determine to serve God at all costs, then principle will bear sway over monetary gain, whenever similar confrontations between the two loom on the horizon. Let's read:
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
The unbridled pursuit of mammon is antagonistic to the principles of God's kingdom and therefore The Lord bids us to let His word and His Laws be the governing elements in our decision making process, for if this is done on a consistent basis through the renewing power of The Holy Spirit, an abundant entrance into the kingdom of God will be ministered unto us, for heaven is prepared for only those who put God first in their thoughts and affections. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to love God supremely by following the laws and commandments that He has given us for our best temporal and eternal good. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!