“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)
Jesus understood human nature and how our vision can be set on those things which never satisfy. In this passage He is speaking of spiritual vision. If we keep our attention (a single eye) set upon Jesus and His Word to us our life will be filled with the light of His Word (Jn. 1:1-14; Ps. 119:105). The key to victory is this singleness of purpose (Phil. 3:13). The strength of the laser beam lies in the fact that all of the light is concentrated on one single point. Likewise, the strength of the Christian lies in how single his or her vision is upon Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith.” (Heb. 12:1-3)
Many of us in the western world have God and riches too, but we can serve only one of them. In Matthew 6:24, the Lord amplifies this by saying that we cannot serve two masters. This is true because we do not have the capability of faithfully serving both of them. We will cleave to one more than the other. You and I simply cannot serve both with all of our heart. God wants singleness of vision and purpose for He knows the human heart is never satisfied with things in the world. We always seem to want a little more. He wants us to serve Him with all of our heart and always desire more of Him.
You may be wondering how you can still make a living without always thinking about money. Where will it come from? How will you get what you need? In verse 33, Jesus says that He will supply all of your need when you seek first the Kingdom of God. All of these other things such as food and clothing and a roof over your head will be added to you when your vision is set upon Him. I have sought all of my life to prove this promise and have discovered that God stands behind His promise. I turned down a promotion and man’s promise of a good salary in 1965. Since then I have traveled the world in ministry, raised a family and now live a quiet retired life on the east side of Tucson enjoying God’s provision and the benefits of His promise.
When we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness He will add to us all of the wealth we need to do His will while here on the earth. It is when we covet after money that we “pierce ourselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10). Put God to the test today. Put Him first in every area of your life and see if He won’t provide all the other things for you.
Pastor Brunner is the founder and director of Jim Brunner Ministries
