In
Matthew
6:24-34, Jesus gave some very simple, yet powerful advice about
living life free from undue stress and pressure. Many of the things He spoke about are things
that consume our minds and disturb our peace.
Let’s look at these Principles for Stress-Free Living.
Principle #1 - There is
only one boss.
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one
and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and wealth. Matthew 6:24
Our concept of “serve” is to perform a task for another. This is not, however, the full meaning of the
word in our text in the original language.
To “be enslaved” is the correct translation. While someone may “serve” more than
one master, a “slave” cannot yield fully to more than one.
When we are trying to serve
both God and wealth, our hearts are divided. You simply cannot hold full
loyalty to two bosses at one time. At
one point or another, they will conflict with each other. The relationship we have with God is one in
which we will actually serve him.
We love him and know that he loves us. Out of this love is born the desire to serve
him. The Greek word for ‘serving’
carries the meaning of the actions of worship.
Hear the cry of the Jewish shema! Hear, O
Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:4-5
If God is not the object of
supreme trust, something or someone else will be; and we all know it is most
likely to be money. When we are serving
wealth, it is much more of a slave type of service. We are in bondage to wealth just like a slave
is in bondage to their master. That
which we have the greatest fear of losing is that which we depend on for
security. Even if it is not the draw of
having things that entices you, it is still possible to be a slave to making
money or being obsessive about saving.
You can never have enough
money. There is always something else
that needs to be taken care of. We also
imagine and dream up circumstances that could happen in the future. The fear of this becoming reality can cause
us to become enslaved as well. The
competitor against God for the throne of our lives is wealth...money. Wealth becomes the master and that leaves God
out. Jesus said, “No one can serve two
masters.”
Scripture to Claim:
For we
brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. But if we have
food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich
fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which
plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all
kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and
pierced themselves with many pains. 1
Timothy 6:7-10
