Merciless Master – September 24, 2022

[Jesus said] “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Luke 16:13

Merciless Master

We tend to live urgently. Deadlines, high-priority messages, and target dates have many of us working at an unsustainable pace. When we finally catch our breath, we wonder how we’ll survive the next big push.

Pressing deadlines and demanding supervisors make it challenging to have a life outside of work. Often, we try to do two things at once—or more! We bring our phones to the dinner table. We reply to emails during soccer games. Even when we’re finally unplugged, date night is ruined by the overflow of office stress. What is the return on our investment? Divided attention, disappointment, and sometimes even divorce. Our closest relationships suffer the most when work and life are not properly aligned.

So why do we live this way? Money is enticing because it offers potential. If we had more, we could do more. More money means a better house or car. To us, better stuff means a better life.

Jesus warns that money is a merciless master. Serving money will destroy you because it always demands more. More of your time. More of your skills. More of your energy. More of you.

Money wants exactly what God wants—you. That’s why Jesus says, “You cannot serve both God and money.”

Moved by our Lord’s unconditional love, our eyes will be locked on Jesus; not on our hectic schedules. Our closest relationships can blossom because work and eternal life are properly aligned. Even when the pace quickens, God directs our focus heavenward and transforms our attitudes toward the temporal. We’re content with our present circumstances. We’re excited about our eternal future. We rest without anxiety. In Christ, we enjoy unmatched peace.

Prayer:
Lord of life, you continue to take care of all my needs. Thank you. Give me peace and fulfillment as I serve you in my workplace, my home, and my community. Amen.