No one can serve two masters

A painting by Rembrandt on Parable of the Rich Man | Image via Wikimedia Commons

We pick up the journey of Jesus and the rich man in Luke 18: 18-30. Jesus tells the rich man what he must do to inherit eternal life. He first said that you must obey all the commandments of God. The rich man confidently says, “I have kept the commandments since I was young.

Jesus then tells the rich man, “There is one more thing you must do. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor.” Jesus tested the rich man to see if God or money was his god. Idolatry is putting anything ahead or above God. We can allow idols to become our gods if we are not careful. Jesus tells the rich man and us today, “Come, follow me.”

We pick up the story in Luke 18:23-24; “But when the rich man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.” When Jesus saw this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.”

We need to know the danger of riches, money, positions, titles, power, and material things that can happen to us. Our identity can be connected to all the stuff we have. Instead of trusting in God, we live for our stuff, money, possessions, families, houses, etc. That is a danger that we all must be aware of in America.

Jesus tells us in Mark 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 one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Lord, help me to trust in You and not in anything from this world because the stuff of this world will let me down. “But You are my refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of need.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the Lead Senior Pastor of the International Christian Church (ICC) at State‎n Island, New York, since 2011. He draws many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and significant emotional life experiences.

His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is getting rave reviews. His daily devotional appears in this publication.