The Daily Word: Tuesday, April 13th, 2021
Joshua 7:16-9:2
Luke 16:1-18
Psalm 82:1-8
Proverbs 13:2-3
For full text click here.
Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“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.” – Lk. 16:13
Mammon is the Hebrew mammonas (Strong’s H3126), which means treasure or riches. Jesus was clear to His disciples: you cannot serve Jesus while also serving money. If you serve money, it will be impossible to serve God. Don’t believe me? Ask Judas, who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. He was so distraught that he had chosen to serve the wrong god that he “threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself” (Matt. 27:5). Living your life for money instead of Jesus would be the ultimate regret.
Now, money is not evil in and of itself. Money makes a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. Scripture says that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness” (1 Tim. 6:10). Being in love with money is a root of – a starting point for – all kinds of evil. Loving money distracts you from loving Jesus! Loving money takes your eyes off the only true Prize. Loving money will drive you to live for the temporal instead of the eternal: things that will pass away, instead of things that will live forever. Loving money will cause you to sacrifice spiritual wealth for physical wealth.
So, whom will you serve? Will you spend your life building material wealth that you can’t take with you when you die? Or will you offer your days to God, and trust that as you do, He will take care of every single one of your material needs?
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matt. 6:19-21
Prayer:
Father, I want to live for what really matters. I want to live to praise and honor You! From this day forward, I refuse to serve mammon. Instead, I insist on serving and following You: all my days, with all my heart, in Jesus’ name.
© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.