Who is Your Master?

Matthew 6:24 (KJV):

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Merriam-Webster definition of "mammon": material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing influence.

So....let's break this verse down together. God is saying that no man (person) can serve two masters, either you love serving God and hate serving money, or you love serving money and despise serving God. I cannot tell you which side of the fence you are on. However, I can tell you that I came to a very real conclusion about which master I serve this morning.

Here on Guam, we have very limited opportunities to shop for anything and most things are bought either at the BX (Exchange) here on Andersen AFB, or the NEX (Navy Exchange) on the other side of the island. We will drive 45 minutes to shop there when we really want something that is not carried in our base exchange. The main topic of conversation when I arrived on island was what we could buy, how much, where, and who else had it. People here are constantly coveting what others have, whether it be their neighbor's car, a new toy for the kids, diving equipment, or a variety of other things. In almost any conversation, buying or money will eventually come up! Well, today, there was a major event on Andersen AFB. The government built a brand new BX which has approx. 181,000 square feet of pure consumer pleasure! They have been talking up the new BX for about a year, and everyone has been talking about the opening in the past month! Well, today it opened!

As I was circling the parking lot waiting to go inside, I was praying and the Lord spoke to me about his feelings regarding this new, seemingly wonderful BX. He reminded me how many people were going to serve money today as they sold their souls to the devil for something new and amazing, and went further into debt so they could have it, making MONEY their master! He reminded me of all the times that people had mentioned the opening of the BX with such zeal and excitement, and how many times they had not mentioned the miraculous things he is doing here on Andersen AFB. He reminded me of the suffering that people face when they are strapped down in debt, and the pressure it puts on their lives, so they are forced to serve money even more...even if they were formerly serving Him! You see, Christians are not immune to the temptations of the world, the lust of the eyes, of the pride of life. Christians are tempted by Satan to commit sin just as much as those who do not know Christ, but Christians have been given power by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to overcome temptation.

1 John 2:16 (NIV):

"For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of this world."

As I circled the parking lot, the Lord presented me with a decision of obedience. He told me to pray, and not to enter the BX today along with everyone else. He asked me to exercise wisdom and self-control, and he protected me from making the same mistake many others would TODAY. He knows that I have a weakness for spending and that I might get caught up in the frenzy and begin to write checks my bank account cannot cash, or simply "charge it" on a credit card because of my lack of self-control. I have a long history of struggling with debt, and the Lord knows every second of heartache that struggle has cost me. He has spoken to me that I am going to be debt-free one day, and I was almost there, but my family made mistakes as we neared that goal. It set us back, but we are moving forward again toward being debt-free! Instead of entering the BX, I simply came home and spent time in prayer with my Lord. I prayed that others would have the strength to say no to "mammon" and yes to Jesus. I could feel the pain in my Lord's heart as he spoke about how people had waited so long for this BX to appear, but people do not even think about His own appearance soon! Do we look to the skies, anxiously awaiting our Lord's return? Do we hope with the same eagerness to see His face as we do to see the next sale on a big-screen TV? We get excited when a new SUV enters the market, but we shrug our shoulders and say "Praise the Lord" half-heartedly when we find out a sister was healed from her sickness, miraculously by her Lord!

It is evident that most of us are serving the wrong master. We are serving mammon, which means (according to the Word of God) that we are despising our master Jesus Christ. It is time to re-examine where we invest our time, our effort and our MONEY. There are starving children all over the world who need to hear the gospel message of salvation through hope in Jesus Christ, there are orphans to be adopted, widows to be helped, ministries to be supported, missions who need donations, food, shelter, school supplies, and basic necessities needed for families right here on Guam. Why aren't we thinking about them? These were the things we were told to do by our master, our Lord.

1 John 3:17-18 (NIV):

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

I encourage each of you to think about how you spend your time, effort and money in your daily life. If you believe God, you need to believe in His Word. His Word is clear on what we should do. We should forsake our love of mammon, and encourage sharing the love of God with one another. The Lord exhorts us this way:

Luke 9:23 (NIV):

"Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."


If you do not yet trust the Lord to provide for your needs, please accept this scripture as encouragment:

Matthew 6:27-29 (NIV):

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."



Lord, today I pray that this word helps others to learn to deny those things which give their flesh pleasure and feed their spirit with you Lord, and the Word of God. I pray that they would replace a desire for possessions with a passionate desire to seek your face, and know their true Lord, Jesus Christ. I pray that you would fill them with your joy and peace, replacing any need for items which cannot satisfy. I pray that you would give them what they need today, and help them to be content with that which they are given. I pray for myself today that you would help me also to always serve You alone, and not mammon. I pray that you give me and others the wisdom, strength and courage to stand on the Word of God, and hold fast to faith in your ways. I thank you for your abundance in mercy and grace, and your sweet presence in my life. I thank you for your precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ, so that my sins could be forgiven through the shedding of his blood on the cross. I thank you for the new life and freedom you have given me in knowing you, and the strength to live out each day before you. Bless the readers with the hearing of your Word, and give them faith enough to accept your sacrifice for salvation of their souls. I pray in Jesus precious and holy name, Amen.

May the Lord's blessing of peace rest upon you today.

His Alone,

Sarah