Teachings of Jesus Sample

Two Masters

Jesus has said much in the Sermon on the Mount about how His disciples can thrive in His Kingdom. He has taught it is in our best interest to pursue His righteousness and rewards rather than the world’s empty promises. He’s emphasized that serving God is a heart condition, not just an external to-do list.

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus emphasizes the binary nature of our most fundamental choice: who we serve. We all like the idea of getting God’s rewards, but we often think we can do that merely by having devotions and doing religious things. 

Perhaps we compartmentalize our Sunday self, keeping it a safe distance from our Friday night self. We also maintain a Monday self, looking out for Number One in the dog-eat-dog business world.

Jesus is clear we can’t have it both ways. The rewards of Kingdom living are not available if we only pursue them during a small portion of our lives. 

We must seek God at all times, not just when it is convenient or socially acceptable to do so. We must pursue God’s righteousness in all aspects of our lives—not just at church or in daily devotions, but when we socialize on Friday nights and at work on Mondays.

We cannot truly serve God and material prosperity. If wealth is our master, we will be devoted to its insatiable demands. We will be consumed by the pursuit of the unachievable goal of “more.” We will seek and find the treasures of the world, which moth and rust will destroy.

If Jesus is our Master, He must necessarily transform all other-selves. Our work self must serve Him and His Kingdom, and so must our social self too. Each of these selves is a necessary participant in seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness.

There may be two (or more) masters barking out commands, but the servant can only choose to follow one of them. The heart will follow the one it loves. Which master will we choose?

Lord, I give You my whole self, not just my Sunday self, but my Monday self, Friday self, and all other-selves.