Until Monday morning, 6th August, we are going to look at some extracts from my book.
“No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money,” [Mammon KJV] (Matthew 6:24).
This passage points out one of our Lord’s greatest enemies and one of our biggest hindrances in serving the Lord wholeheartedly.
A master makes decisions and creates the circumstances that influence his servant’s life. In New Testament times, a slave belonged to his master and obeyed his master’s every bidding. Today, those of us who work for someone else have some understanding of what a master is. We understand the principle of doing what the employer expects. We have little choice or input into the system outside the established policies.
Jesus specifically used the term “master” in this context. We belong to the master we choose to serve. The master makes demands and manipulates the circumstances that cause us to be dependent on or controlled by him. In New Testament days, the master controlled his slave’s circumstances to the point that the slave could not survive on his own. He depended on the master for both lodging and food.
According to our passage, the Christian can serve or belong to only one of two masters: God or Mammon. Mammon is the god of money. A god is a spiritual being with power. A god cannot be controlled by people but always controls and enslaves them.
There is only one living God, and all false gods or idols are dead, but we find power behind them. Only two spiritual powers inhabit the universe: the power of light and the power of darkness. Satan, God’s enemy, controls the power of darkness. In all his activities, he attempts to deceive people and draw them away from the Lord. Jesus described him to his children, the important people of the day, as follows: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies,” (John 8:44).
Satan’s strategy of deception is the creation of rulers, authorities, and powers, (Ephesians 6:12) whose lies control people and keep them from the love and truth of God that could set them free. Examples of such gods are Mammon, lust, and power. Satan is the actual god of darkness who controls lives, and the so-called gods are his demons—the fallen angels, including Mammon.
The motivation and methods of control that God and Mammon use are also somewhat different. Whenever the Lord emphasizes something in the Bible, the devil uses every opportunity within his power to influence people to oppose God in that area.
For example, using the Lord’s name in vain in the movies opposes Exodus 20:7. God’s command prohibiting the serving of two masters is Mammon’s motivation behind the action. Mammon saw this as a challenge to compete with God for our love. He uses every opportunity to influence people to rely on money rather than the Lord. Satan even saw an opportunity to try to deceive God himself, in the person of Jesus, to bow to Mammon and therefore to himself. “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me,’” (Matthew 4:8, 9).
To be continued
Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.
Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.
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