[Jesus said,]”No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Luke 16:13
It would be difficult to be a slave, serving as one’s property and required to submit to the will of the master. It would be even more complicated to be owned by two masters. How would you decide whose demands to prioritize?
I suppose the decision would depend upon which master had a greater hold over your life or rewarded you more. But wait! Why would any master decide to share the slave in the first place? Furthermore, since when did slaves get much of a choice?
Since most 21st Century North Americans can’t wrap our heads around the economics of slavery, we do know the power of wealth. We know how wealth affects the security of our future and our quality of life.
Now wrap your mind around the economics of God’s grace. How do you serve the One who freely gives an abundance of grace? How do you serve the One who gives you life and salvation? How do you serve the One who offers life everlasting?
Perhaps good questions to ponder about our relationship with money include: “What is my relationship with money? How does it dictate my life or affect my choices? How much do I share or keep for myself? Do those with more wealth influence you more than those less wealthy?
Likewise, ask yourself questions about your relationship with God: What is my relationship with God? How does God’s free gift of grace affect my life and the choices I make? How much of that grace do I share or keep for myself? How does my relationship with God affect my relationship with wealth?