No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Matthew 6:24 (CSB)
Jesus has been talking about money for a few days now. Where we keep it. How we look at it. Today, who we serve.
“Serve” here means to be a slave. In Jesus’ day a slave belonged to one owner. We can work two jobs and keep both bosses happy. But nobody can be owned by two people at once. We’ll serve something. The question is who.
And the second master isn’t the devil. It’s money. Just money. The stuff in our bank account, the stuff we’re saving for, the raise we want. Jesus isn’t saying money is bad. He’s saying money can become our owner. It happens the moment we start taking orders from it.
How do we know who we’re serving? Watch what happens when the two disagree. God’s Word says one thing, and the money’s answer comes out of our own mouths. “Not yet.” “Just this once.” “We can’t afford that.” Whichever one we obey right then is our master.
So this week, we should look for one spot where God’s Word and our money are pointing in opposite directions, and then do what God said. That’s how we find out who we belong to.
A slave gets a new owner by being bought. The Bible says we “were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Jesus paid it. He “emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7 CSB). Our Master became a servant first, and He paid for us with His own life.