"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
There are two types of slavery prevalent in the world today: Slavery that is forced and slavery that is chosen. Forced slavery or "modern-day" slavery is commonly recognized in our culture as human trafficking, but it encompasses much more. Modern-day slavery can be found in forced labor, bonded labor, child labor, domestic servitude, forced marriage or sex trafficking, and affects an estimated 21 million people worldwide according to researchers. To ignore this epidemic is simply foolish and irresponsible, as people are enslaved against their will and subjected to atrocities we cannot begin to fathom. However, as we consider Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6:24, we must understand that forced labor is not the context of this particular message. As always, Jesus addresses the heart of man and focuses His attention on the epidemic of voluntary slavery that is chosen, not forced. James reminds us, "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death" (James 1:14-15). This truth is imperative to remember because the root of our enslavement begins with fleshly desires. We convince ourselves that ______ will satisfy our desires and strive to appease our insatiable hunger for personal fulfillment in a myriad of ways, because that is the essence of "the grass is always greener on the other side" ideology, and we fall victim to its lies more often than we care to admit.
James goes on to ask, "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (James 4:1-3). As Christians, we cannot continue to ignore the fact that we are our own worst enemy in the fight against temptation. What we struggle with most is our discontentment with the Lord's provision, which manifests itself in our inability to find peace and/or joy in all things. Therefore, we must remind ourselves, "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire" (2 Peter 1:3-4). God has granted us everything we need to be content. Many people like to interchange happiness or prosperity with contentment, but the Lord guarantees no such thing in His Word for life lived here on earth. Pastors who teach prosperity doctrine (and ironically are some of the most popular pastors of the biggest churches in the world today) do as much a disservice to the church of Jesus Christ as atheists who vehemently oppose Biblical doctrine altogether, and that is why we must be on guard to recognize their heresy like a wolf in sheep's clothing, or suffer the consequences of buying into their "health and wealth" or "name it and claim it" ideology.
God's Word warns, "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4). When we consider how easily we are led astray by our own desires and cravings, it easy to understand why Jesus admonishes our servitude. We are simply too easily swayed by the lure of post-modernistic thinking in our world today. Similar to modernism which seeks truth through man's reason as opposed to the Bible, post-modernism seeks to redefine truth altogether—truth is not absolute but relative, and man is encouraged to invent whatever truth appeases his desire and inclinations. Post-modernism can be found in practically any form or facet in our culture. Look no further than how sexually-driven American culture has increasingly become over the last 60 years, and how lust, promiscuity and various forms of sexual perversion have infiltrated our homes, schools, communities, work-places and entertainment. No longer are we resistant to perversion, for the political arena of activists lobbying for sexuality equality and legal protection is tearing down the walls of Christianity and tempting Christians to justify and endorse such acts as acceptable in the eyes of God (shockingly, with great success!) Therefore, when Jesus affirms that a choice must be made as to whom we pledge our heart's allegiance, we cannot ignore our responsibility to choose whom we will serve and live out our decision accordingly. "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’" (Matthew 7:21-23).
The notion that Matthew 6:24 is simply a teaching on money which needs to be hammered into the minds of every Bible-believing Christian is simply irresponsible and misleading as well. Does Jesus use money as an illustration to prove a point? Yes. Is money a potential idol that can feed fleshly desires? Absolutely. However, money is not inherently evil in and of itself. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" (1 Timothy 6:10). Paul admonishes that it doesn't even matter whether we have money or not. Simply desiring it in our hearts for the false security it provides is enough to sway our devotion away from God because of idolatry. However, does that truth even strike a cord within us? Keep in mind, our culture has turned the word "idol" into a positive connotation. Look at the athletes and entertainers our children and youth idolize, and how accepting we are endorsing their "idolizing" under the justification that those who are most successful in this world are the ideal role models for our children. Have we truly lost our spiritual compass? What messages are we providing free and uninterrupted access to infiltrate our homes through music, television, smartphones, Internet, social media, etc.? Perhaps more convicting, what role have we personally played in modeling that behavior for our children? Keep in mind, none of us are perfect, but we must start owning up to the garbage we are feasting on for ourselves and feeding to the next generation, if we expect change to occur in the world around us.
In the end, it is a love or hate decision, not a love/hate dilemma. Far too often, we refer to our sin in the context of love/hate. In other words, we love the momentary satisfaction we receive from the object of our desires, but we do not hate it enough to put an end to it. So if a man struggles with lust, greed, power or position, and does not put discipline and boundaries in place to prevent and prohibit him from returning to his sinful desire, he will return to his object of servitude and tighten the shackles of slavery he bound himself to in the first place. Where we must connect the dots is looking back to the beginning of Jesus' sermon on the mount when He said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). While commonly used as a word of encouragement to those who mourn the loss of a loved one, the true context of Matthew 5:4 is to exhort those who grieve over their sin. Therefore, when we love or hate our sin as opposed to love/hate, we draw a clear line of distinction that is intentional and discerning. And because we know our tendencies, we are able to practically institute methods of spiritual amputation which put a stop to the entry points temptation exploits when we're vulnerable. For we must not just turn away from sin waiting for the storm to pass, but shift our attention off selfish desire and onto Christ, because He alone can provide the peace and joy we seek at the core of our being. "The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:12-14).
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