Serving Two Masters

Have you ever felt torn, wanting to go in two directions at once?

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. - Matthew 6:19-24

Jesus talks about two masters.  One is God and one is wealth.  He tells us to beware, for we will only be able to serve one, and not the other.

Do we believe that?

What if our goal is to accumulate wealth so that we can help others, using our money to feed the hungry or provide housing, jobs, a means for others to better themselves.

What master are we serving then?

So long as there are people who make more money than I do, I can point to them and see myself in a better light.  In my eyes, I am not a slave to wealth, like they are.

And I can feel justified in my belief that they should be doing more, giving more, paying their fair share in taxes, whatever.  But am I serving God?

The point Jesus is making is that our focus should be on God in all we do, in how we choose to live.

Maybe the way to look at this is to put God first.  

We may think that we can multitask, focus on two things at the same time, but we really aren't good at that.  One thing always takes priority.

The more we have of earthly wealth, whether that is a home, investments, or things we like, the more focused we are on those things, wanting to keep them safe, secure them from loss, maintain their usefulness.

I know someone who lives in his car.  Everything he owns is there, with him, everyday.

Is that the way we should live so as not to accumulate wealth, or is there a minimum amount of stuff we need to sustain ourselves?

Surely if you have a home, even a rented room, it is better than living in your car, right?  After all, you can shower and keep yourself clean, so you can go to work and be among people.

Are the basic needs considered wealth?

I don't think so.  To someone who lives in his car, the one who can afford a home and take vacations is wealthy.

So, I guess I am the wealthy one in this picture.  Maybe I should take some time to think about who I choose as my master.

More to come...