God Will Provide

Pastor Stan looks into Matthew 6:24,

“No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and mammon.”

In the Roman world, it was impossible for a slave to serve two different masters simultaneously. In the same way, we cannot serve two masters and instead find our allegiance will gravitate toward one or the other: God or mammon (possessions or money).

Watch the devotional and consider how God knows what we need and loves us so dearly.

Transcript

Good morning, Crown and Joy family! Just wanted to express my thanks first to Hope Martin for providing us with a written devotional for last week.  I trust we shall hear from her again in the future should the virus continue.

Today, I wanted to share with you something Jesus said (recorded in Matt 6:24) that, “No one 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.”

Slavery was a fact of life in the Roman world. There were many ways in which one could find themselves in servitude. One of those ways was by contract. Imagine one slave trying to adequately serve two different masters? Jesus is letting us know up front that such an arrangement is doomed to fail. The slave will ultimately have unequal regard, loyalty and faithfulness in service between the two masters.  

But then Jesus switches from his analogy to the point. He identifies the two masters he has in mind – God or mammon. (Mammon being a Greek term for “possessions,” but can also mean “money”). How would one either serve God or serve mammon? What is behind the service? The clue comes in the next verse – “therefore do not worry about your life; [specifically, the basics] what you will eat what you will drink and how you will be clothed.” 

Jesus has put his finger on a reality of life.  You will give you strength, allegiance, faith and trust to, as well as rest your peace on, whoever or whatever takes care of you.  And apparently worrying about your needs will drive you towards service to mammon instead of God.  You may not even know you have divided loyalties until the basics are threatened.  

It happened to ancient Israel. Time and time again when faced with the real possibility of not having enough water, they would revert to complaining against God, demonstrating they did not trust him to take care of them.  ‘Forget this Promised Land stuff.  We need water now!’   Jesus spends the rest of this passage assuring us that God knows what we need and will provide it.  But he calls us keep our hearts centered on his Kingdom and his righteousness rather than on getting our needs met and bills paid. 

This is a real challenge now for many of us who have lost our source of income during this coronavirus. Jesus wants us to know that unlike mammon which can be lost very quickly or very slowly (see verse 19), God is always there ready to meet whatever need you have just like he does the birds and the flowers. So, looking to God as you file for unemployment or praying about what to do next, is the right thing to do.  God knows how He will make a way out of no way, in ways you cannot even imagine. Be open, be ready.  God will make his way.  God bless you. Thank you for listening.