May 23, 2013

Choosing a Master

Matthew 6:24-34

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
—Matthew 6:24

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Jesus challenges us to think hard about who our master is. Is God our Master, or is money our master? We cannot serve both, says Jesus.

How do these masters operate in our lives?

God is loving, selfless, and generous. When God is our Master, he speaks words of life so that we do not have to worry. God, our Creator, cares for the birds of the air and clothes even the grass of the field.

Money, on the other hand, says, “If you have enough material possessions, then you will be secure and able to deal with any problem that comes up in your life.” Money calls us to be selfish and do whatever it takes to get ahead. It claims that the person with the most toys wins.

Money and the power of riches (and the people taken in by them) threaten us by saying, “If you do not bow down to me, you will not get what you need or want.” Money is a greedy, selfish, deceiving spirit who wants to steal and destroy.

When God is our Master, we know we are in good hands. We can live from a place of generosity, knowing that God’s kingdom is recession-free. Even as trials come, we stand in faith as Job did, knowing our Redeemer lives (Job 19:25)!

Father, we want to put our faith and trust in you, not in money or possessions. Enable us to be generous and selfless as we grow to be united with you, our good and gracious Creator, Lord, and Savior. Amen.

About the author — John Kuperus

Since he was young, John Kuperus has had a passion that everyone would know Jesus. Spreading the good news that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) is very important to him. To be better equipped for missions, John attended Reformed Bible College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He applied these skills with marketplace evangelism in a business he started in Sussex, New Jersey. This calling continued to follow him, so John attended seminary and became a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, serving a church in Ontario for eight years. Currently he serves as a missionary for Youth with a Mission (YWAM). He witnesses Jesus changing lives as people walk out of the darkness into the light. John is married to Helen, and they have seven children.

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