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Luke 16:13 - You Cannot Serve Both God and Money.

Luke 16:13 (NIV) No servant 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." 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Materialism
   The Bible strictly forbids idolatry. One 
of the Ten Commandments declares, "You shall 
not make for yourself a carved image; . . . you 
shall not bow down to them nor serve them' (Exod. 
20:4-5).  
   But almost anything can become an "idol - 
something we worship and serve in place of God. It 
might be success, or pleasure, or possessions, or 
money, or anything else we let control our lives. 
They aren't necessarily wrong in themselves, but 
they become "idols" when we make them the most 
important things in life. 
   The Bible rejects idols for at least two 
reasons. First, idols are false. They cannot save us 
or change our lives for the better. Second, 
idols cut us off from God. We substitute them for 
God - and as a result, we turn our backs on Him 
and never come to know Him and love Him as we 
should. 
   Has any "idol" taken God's rightful place 
in your life? Don't let it happen. God has 
commanded, "You shall have no other gods before Me" 
(Exod. 20:3). [Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham] 

COMMENTARY 

Living for an Audience of One
   When youre always worried about what 
other people think of you, you cant be what God 
wants you to be. But, when you learn to think like 
Jesus, you wont worry about pleasing everyone. 
Jesus had the right focus. He was only concerned 
with pleasing God. 
   Jesus was never manipulated by crowds or 
by the approval or the disapproval of anybody 
else. He lived for an audience of one: I try to 
please the One who sent me (John 5:30 NCV). When 
you have the mind of Christ, that's what you do. 
 
   Wouldn't it simplify your life to live 
for an audience of one? If God likes what 
youre doing, then you know youre doing the 
right thing. 
   God says in Matthew 3:17, This is my 
Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased 
(NIV). Jesus was obviously doing it right.  
   The truth is, you can't please everybody. 
Even God can't please everybody! When someone 
prays for it to be sunny, somebody else is praying 
for it to rain. Somebody is praying for their 
team to do well, and someone else wants the 
opposing team to win. You can't please everybody. 
   Luke 16:13 says, No one can serve two 
masters (NIV).  
   You have to decide whose approval 
youre going to seek - God's approval or other 
peoples approval. Are you going to live for what 
other people think or what God thinks? 
   When you're always looking for validation 
from other people, it means you don't really 
realize who you are. You dont understand what God 
made you to do or believe that he is always with 
you.  
   Jesus never let someone elses approval 
or a fear of rejection control him. He wasnt 
out to win a popularity contest. He didn't need 
other peoples opinions to validate himself.  
   When you have the mind of Christ, you 
will be so secure in your identity, your purpose, 
and God's presence in your life that you won't 
need to look to other people for approval. [Daily 
Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

Matthew 6:24 - You Cannot Compromise With 
God; It's All Or None. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20051228-1202.html 

Exodus 20:3 - Who or What Are Your God's?

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2004/20040226-0925.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/