Kingdom Alignment Part 9
At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Alignment,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.
Last week in our Kingdom Alignment series, we talked about how we see the world. Jesus taught us that the eye is the lamp of the body. What fills our vision shapes the direction of our lives. This week He takes us one step deeper. If our vision determines what we pursue, then we must also ask who or what we are ultimately serving.
Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Over the last eight weeks, Jesus has been asking us a series of searching questions. Not simply about our outward behavior, but about our hearts. Who are you living for? Who do you trust? What do you desire? What do you treasure? How do you see the world? Each question has peeled back another layer of our lives until now Jesus asks perhaps the deepest question of all: Who is your Master? Because every heart eventually bows to something.
When Jesus says, “You cannot serve God and mammon,” He is not simply talking about money. Mammon is much bigger than money. Mammon represents everything we falsely believe money can provide. It promises security, freedom, peace, power, significance, pleasure, and control. Mammon whispers that if we only had a little more, we would finally feel safe, respected, and satisfied. The problem is not that money exists. The problem is when we begin expecting money to do what only God can do. God alone is our security. God is our peace. God is our freedom. God is our strength. When we place our confidence in wealth rather than in Him, money quietly becomes a substitute master.
The Bible never teaches that money is evil. In fact, money is a useful tool and a wonderful servant. But it makes a terrible master.
1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Paul reminds us that the love of money becomes “a root of all kinds of evil.” Money itself is neutral. It simply reveals what already lives in our hearts. That is why Jesus spoke so often about possessions and generosity. God already knows your heart. The way you handle money does not reveal your heart to Him. It helps reveal your heart to you.
This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.