Serve Only One Master
ICS Daily Devotions
Deuteronomy 8:18-19 (NKJV) “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.
Money can be a god in our lives when we allow the lust for money to become an idol. Scripture says that we cannot serve two masters because we will love one and hate the other. If we love money, we will never have enough of it. Therefore, as believers, we must choose to worship and serve God and refuse to let the love of money become an idol. God wants us to enjoy the pleasures of this world, but because He is a jealous God, what He doesn’t want is for the lust of the world and the things it offers to replace Him in our lives.
God wanted the Israelites to remember that He was the one who gave them the power to gain wealth and fulfilled His covenant obligations, but their hearts were drawn away from God after they had built beautiful houses and had an abundance. They thought that their wisdom and abilities had gained them wealth. Today, mankind also tends to drift away from God, become lukewarm or complacent towards Him when everything is going well and all our needs are met, become proud, and want to be independent of God.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 (NKJV) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
When we are blinded by the love of money, it is easy to make wrong decisions and jeopardise the entire family’s savings. Therefore, a couple must decide what are some of the non-negotiables when it comes to investments or businesses, such as whether they agree to high-risk investments in the hope of high returns. Even if you are thinking of partnering with a Christian for business or investment, in addition to doing due diligence, it would be wise to pray first.
The couple should also agree that Christians should never enter any casinos or racecourses and bet on lotteries because all forms of gambling are harmful to the individual and the family. The deception behind it is the desire to win and recover the loss.
Therefore, a couple should sit down to plan their budget, decide to tithe, and make God their source. When we tithe and give freewill offerings, we will not worship mammon. We will always be ready to part with our money because we are convinced that we are stewards of God’s resources.
Sermon Series：Before You Say I Do
