April 21, 2024
Greetings and blessings to all of you. Jesus said in Matt. 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Serving mammon or money stands in opposition to God. Serving money means that you will give Time to acquiring ‘money’. Will you give that Time to God? The world currently have changed sports practices to Sundays. That means that you and I will miss attending church services if it means acquiring more money. Our kids are now being influenced by money first- God second. And of course, their parents are absent from church because they are the Ubers and Lyfts drivers. In First Tim. 6:10 the word says, “for the love of money is a root of all evils, because of which some aspiring after money have been led away from the faith and pierced themselves through many pains.” Are we going to worship God or money? This is the controversy of this culture. Many people have never dealt with the matter of money after they are saved. Because our culture keeps us dissatisfied in our hearts, we as a people are still struggling with ‘covetousness’ and ‘faithlessness.’ It is the same as idolatry. Materialism and entertainment can become an idol. God wants to gain our hearts and so do money. Who is winning? Look at all the empty seats today in our churches. There is your answer. Unless we do a Heb.13:5 “keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have”…chasing the green will keep you and I from honoring Christ as we should. The Bible says in Jeremiah 9: 23 “ let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches but let him who boast; boast about this… that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice, righteousness for in these I delight, declares the Lord.” If a man tries to hold on to God and money, he will not be able to serve the Lord like he should. Why do you think the Lord asked the rich young ruler to sell all that he had? The culture say that the Lord wanted to establish Socialism. That is a lie. God wanted the man/us to be aware of our self-reliance and our lack of devotion to God. This man money/time kept him from a steadfast love for God and a commitment to follow Him…to receive eternal life. If a person truly wants to serve the Lord stop looking at time/money. Begin viewing all things from the side of God.
With the Love of Christ
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC