23 September | EVERYONE
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke 16: 13
Someone divided falls apart, they are not happy and implodes inside. Those around you may not know it. They judge only by what they see, but that matters little. What determines inner peace is knowing who you truly serve. Who you are and to whom you have given your heart.
When he said, "No servant can serve two masters," Jesus did not mean that someone cannot have two jobs. It was an illustration of the culture of His day, in which there were masters and slaves from whom the former tended to demand exclusive loyalty. He always used images that the audience understood. Today, I would surely use other types of illustrations.
By denying that it was possible to serve two masters at the same time, what He was really teaching is that in spiritual life one cannot serve Christ and another master at the same time. You have to choose between the two.
Jesus refers specifically to money, or riches, as the other lord. It is not so much that the follower of Christ cannot be rich, but that it is problematic to be because we easily fall into the love of money. A love that might become slavery.
When money dominates human beings, it becomes a curse. It hardens your heart and paralyzes your emotions. In the hands of a faithful child of God, however, it can be a great blessing to the service of humankind and to God’s glory. Always, of course, coming as the result of fidelity to the Lord.
Take Action
Do not be afraid to work and prosper financially! But do not allow yourself to be dominated by the desire to accumulate wealth, so that you become its slave. At the risk, moreover, of oppressing and enslaving others because of it. Sing "Faithful in What Is Least" (if possible, with your family).