TOPIC: Two Masters?
MEMORISE: 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24
Also Read: Open Heaven 12 March 2024 – The Fire Of God
READ: Joshua 24:15-24
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;
17 For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
18 And the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord; for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
20 If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.
22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.
24 And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
MESSAGE
It is impossible to render services to two masters, let alone God and mammon. Whoever tries to do so will ultimately lose. The devil won against Adam and Eve, but thankfully, he failed against Jesus when he tried to lure Him with earthly treasures.
Beloved, once you have chosen to serve God, you must not do anything that will tie you to the devil. You cannot call yourself a child of God and still indulge in sin. Once you have accepted that God is your Master, then the works of the devil should not entice you. You cannot be in the Church choir, singing praises to God, and still be seen in clubhouses. Like the memory verse implies, you should hate the devil and all he stands for. Your service to God is supposed to be 100% and not 50%.
As a child of God, you should be devoted to only the things of your Father’s Kingdom. You cannot play with fire and not expect it to burn you; this is what serving God and the devil will do to a fellow who does so.
REFLECTION
Who is your master?
HYMN 9 – Deeper, Deeper In The Love Of Jesus
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
CHORUS
O deeper yet I pray,
And higher ev’ry day,
And wiser, blessed, Lord,
In Thy precious, holy word.
2. Deeper, deeper! blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus
And His perfect will.
3. Deeper, deeper! tho’ it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
4. Deeper, higher ev’ry day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqueror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 16:41-18:32 Mark 16:1-20
Authors: Pastor E.A. Adeboye and Pastor Folu Adeboye