TOO MANY MASTERS
"No one can serve two masters ..." Matthew 6:24
Today's devotional is from the pen of Chris Tiegreen, devotional writer for Tyndale House Publishers and Walk Thru the Bible. I have been using his devotionals the past several years, and his teaching ministry has blessed my heart.
Every human being is a temple. We who understand that the Spirit of God dwells in believers John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 3:16) know this to be true of Christians. But in a sense it is true of everyone. We are either temples of the Holy Spirit, or temples of any number of idols. We are worshippers by nature, and the objects of our worship are placed on the altar of affections.
Today's devotional is from the pen of Chris Tiegreen, devotional writer for Tyndale House Publishers and Walk Thru the Bible. I have been using his devotionals the past several years, and his teaching ministry has blessed my heart.
Every human being is a temple. We who understand that the Spirit of God dwells in believers John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 3:16) know this to be true of Christians. But in a sense it is true of everyone. We are either temples of the Holy Spirit, or temples of any number of idols. We are worshippers by nature, and the objects of our worship are placed on the altar of affections.
We underestimate the power of our affections. We will pursue that which we love and value most highly. And when that happens to be something other than God -- and it often is -- then we are idolaters attempting to serve two masters.
Contrary to popular belief, we are not helpless captives of our hearts' desires. We choose them. We value relationships, riches, possessions, activities, and all other cravings BY CHOICE. We choose to dwell on certain desires, possibilities, and problems.
We we dream about a venture, a purchase, a romance, or a game, we do so because we want to. We are not defenseless against those idols. We feed them. And while imaginations and dreams can be used for God's purposes, they can also fill us with substitutes for Him. When we let them, we find ourselves with too many masters.
We we dream about a venture, a purchase, a romance, or a game, we do so because we want to. We are not defenseless against those idols. We feed them. And while imaginations and dreams can be used for God's purposes, they can also fill us with substitutes for Him. When we let them, we find ourselves with too many masters.
Jesus does not say that no one SHOULD serve two masters. He says no one CAN! It is an impossibility. One will carry more weight than the other, in which case that one is the true master and the other is the weaker rival. And how easily we make God the weaker rival!
We try to maintain our fellowship with Him while placing our greater affections on less worthy things.
We try to maintain our fellowship with Him while placing our greater affections on less worthy things.
Those who know the power of their affections are wise disciples. They have learned that we choose what we put in our hearts, and then we let ourselves be driven by them. We must remember: We are a house of worship, and there is only one rightful Master in that house. Anything else will pollute the temple. -- from The One Year At His Feet Devotional (Tyndale House Publishers)
So my brothers, this would be a good moment to take a step back and do some serious evaluation this morning. Are you trying to serve two masters? I am not talking about working two jobs and serving two bosses. I think you already know what the issuse is -- are there idols in your heart that have taken first place rather than having HIM be numero uno in your life? Think about it. -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK
Digging Deeper: Proverbs 28; Job 11-13; Acts 9:1-21
Dig This Quote: Everyone of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols. -- John Calvin
Dig This Quote: Everyone of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols. -- John Calvin
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