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. [Matthew 6:24 NIV
What does it mean, and what does it look like, to serve money?
I wondered that myself so I looked up the Greek word that is translated serve.
I saw words like slave and bondage - that last word caught my attention.
I know what it is like to be in bondage to money.
To evaluate every decision from a fiscal perspective.
To care more about the fiscal bottom line than the spiritual one.
I am not saying that we should not be wise in how we use money.
How we use money is often representative of how we serve God.
When we are in bondage to something God will always be a lesser priority.
Consider how the Apostle Paul told us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
In a very real sense love is the issue and money is just an example of misplaced love.
When we serve and love money we make an idol of it - and idolatry is the heart of the issue.
Open my eyes Lord to ways that I idolize money and the things that money buys.
... this devotion is part of the Red Letters series. Click here to read more.
The word bondage is a good way to explain loving money. As most couple rasing our family, we had debt and struggled at times, but before we retired, and became "dept free" it was a freedom that felt so good. Now we are in a position to be more generous in our giving. Freedom to serve..freedom to give.
ReplyDeleteWhen you think about it, most people would expect it to say, "you cannot serve God and the devil."
ReplyDeleteBut, it does point out a tension that will always exist. And, it exists when we put a priority on our stuff and acquiring that stuff. God wants to be that priority.