Two Masters
Have you ever tried to serve two masters?
“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave 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." The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. So he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God. "The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped. [“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. - Luke 16:10-17[18]
We all do it. We chase wealth. If wanting to make money is what keeps us from getting closer to God, what are we to do?
I thought I would use a picture of an old woman sweeping up her coins as a reversal of the parable Jesus told of the woman who lost one of ten coins and swept her house looking for it.
If you feel you are constantly chasing after lost coins, metaphorically speaking, you are not alone.
We could all use a little bit more money coming in by the end of the month, season, or year, which can become an obsession, one that pulls us away from God.
God knows we struggle with money, among other things. But how do we keep that struggle from distracting us from our purpose in life?
What is that purpose?
That's the point of Jesus' message here, I think. Stop and give some thought to your purpose in life, he's telling us.
When we strive to put God first, he believes, and we should as well, everything else falls into place.
We may not find more lost coins under our beds, but we might choose to realign our priorities in such a way that makes the struggle a little less difficult.
More to come...