Matthew 6:22-24 The Lamp of the Body (Luke 11:33-36)
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your vision is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your vision is poor, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
James 1:5-7 “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
We’ve all seen people who look impressive and speak beautifully….but the longer you get to know some people, the more you realize the first impression is merely a façade. Such people lack clear vision and what initially appears as light is only a flash, while they are actually creatures of darkness. Trust such a person at your own risk, for they can disappoint you and betray you.
The word “disciple” comes from a Greek word that means “one who engages in learning from another, a pupil or adherent.” Disciples are meant to be continually learning from their masters and must pay close attention at all times. No true disciple has time or energy to hold more than one set of opinions. In Jesus’ day, disciples might literally follow their masters wherever their masters would go, walking in the masters’ footsteps. True disciples will copy their masters as much as possible so that their personalities will reflect his. If a disciple ever starts holding opinions adverse to the master’s teaching, he has become unstable and confused and is no longer a true disciple.
Siamese twins are generally joined at some part of the body, but those that survive frequently have two chests with heart and lungs and two heads. To be a Siamese twin disciple means that you are attempting to hold two completely differing opinions simultaneously. Later, Jesus tells his disciples that “No man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Everyone has watched farmers plowing or has plowed themselves, and everyone knows that to achieve a straight furrow, you must fix your eyes on one point and then aim steadily for that point. Take your eyes off your goal even briefly, and your furrow will waver. One of our friends, a Catholic priest, has a poster that reads “If you don’t know where you are going, you’re likely to wind up somewhere else.”
Yesterday we were driving in our regional capital when we had to stop suddenly. A young man riding his motorcycle behind us was obviously paying more attention to his cell phone than to us and bumped into the back of our vehicle. Fortunately, nobody was injured, nor were either of the vehicles damaged. But the cause was obvious: the young man’s complete attention was in the wrong direction. In Ghana, it is illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving a vehicle and police can stop you and fine you if they catch you. Double-mindedness can prove expensive.
“No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Those listening to Jesus are scratching their heads. “What’s wrong with money?” many of them might be thinking. “Without money, I can’t survive.” Jesus obviously recognizes that money is a necessary evil; the question is, whom are you serving? What drives you?
Once you have chosen a goal, you will stop at nothing in your zeal to achieve that goal. If your main goal is to become as rich as possible, you will bend every effort in that direction. But riches can evaporate overnight. During the 1920’s, businesses were booming, and people were making fortunes. But when the world financial market crashed in 1929, many of the same people who were millionaires on paper found they were paupers. Some people went so far as to commit suicide by jumping out of windows in sky scrapers or shooting themselves. For those people, money had become their god and when their god failed them, they had nothing left.
We all are going to worship something or someone because that is our nature. God is the only One worth trusting, for He will never fail us. Disciples submit everything in their lives to their masters. When we submit to God, He promises to guide us, to provide for us, and to keep us safe spiritually. Nothing and nobody else can accomplish this.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You with everything we are and everything we have. Help us to truly be Your disciples. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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