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Are You Serving Two Masters?

Do you struggle with serving two masters?

Matthew 6:24 (NLT) says ‘No one can serve two masters, For you will hate the one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.

I don’t know about you, but for me some days it does seem that I am struggling with this.   I totally plan to get up and have my quiet time with God.  To get up, get my smoothie fixed and go to my quiet space and get my devotional book and my Bible and curl up in the Word and in His presence, that is my plan.  Those days are the very best days for me!

Those days when I do that, I start off with a pre-study prayer and then read my devotional and delve deeper into His Word. I spend more time in thought about what I was studying and then in prayer for Thanksgiving, adoration to Him for who He is, and asking for requests for those I know who I have promised to pray for and then for my own requests for me and my family.   Those are the greatest days!

But then there are those other days!

Those days where I oversleep or just lay in bed with my thoughts and end up getting a late start.   I rush to fix my smoothie and get to work.  Oh you say, ‘but you are retired’!   Well not really.  We started this internet marketing business a few months ago and I am back to an 8 to 5 day again.  Some days it is less but most days it is more.  I guess it will be until we really get this going.

Which is it?  God or Wealth?

Luke 16:1-13 (NIV) is the Parable of the shrewd manager, where Jesus tells his disciples about the rich man’s manager who was accused of wasting his possessions.  Jesus saysStanding Firm Productts in Luke 16:10 that ‘whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishones with very little will also be dishonest with much.’  He then quotes Matthew 6:24 again.  ‘You cannot serve both God and money.’

This website, StandingFirmProducts.com is our first internet marketing site.  It is my passion!

I truly want it to be a site that folks can come to for Biblical wisdom, encouragement, and a place where they can trust our reviews and what we share.  If possible, we hope to sell some products via affiliate companies where we tell you about (review) Christian Books, Movies, Bible Studies and Christian gifts and recommend the ones we like best, and then you buy them by clicking on our links and going to the website of the merchant who sells the products and make a purchase.

The commissions on these referrals are very small.  I mean, we are reviewing and promoting small dollar items.  Say a book sells for $9.99, then it will only bring us maybe $0.45 commission if we are blessed!  Not a lot of money coming from Affiliate marketing these products.  We are not out to get rich here, but every little bit will help us keep going.

So, I don’t think we are serving money with this website!  And I certainly hope not!  Our interest here is for YOU!  We want to bring you valuable and true information and to serve God and to Glorify Him!

However, on those days when I work too long and don’t get my quiet time in with Him, or don’t feel like going to Bible Study on a week night or don’t feel like cooking dinner for my husband because I over did it on the work side….perhaps those are days when I am serving two masters.   I have to pray about that and consider it seriously!

What about you?   Are you serving two masters?

Have you gotten yourself so in debt on that beautiful home, car, or those credit cards, that you don’t have time to breathe?  Are you always working late and don’t spend time with your family, much less with God?  Is your life devoted to the buck?  When we get so overloaded with debt trying to keep up with the Joneses, or anyone else, that we don’t have time to sit and enjoy dinner with our spouses and our kids, not to mention our Lord, we are serving two masters!

How did you get so in debt?  How did you get so focused on making a buck that you lost site of God and Family?

What about your time?

This is the reason so many couples end up in divorce.  Not only do they get so focused on making money, they get so involved with those they work with that they forget they have a spouse and family at home who they committed to.  They think the spouse doesn’t care about them, but how would they really know when they are never there?

What about the kids?  Do you miss all their ball games?  Do you sit and talk with them and ask how their day was and what they learned in school?  Do you talk with them or the spouse at all?

And what about God?  Did you even think of Him today?   Did you think of the blessings He so lavishly bestowed on you today?   Did you thank Him for any of it?  What about that beautiful home, those nice clothes, the breakfast you had this morning, or the nice car you drove to work. the lunch you had with your friends?   What about all that?

So you say well I earned all that!  I worked hard for it!

Whoa, wait just a minute!  Who gave that job?  Who gave you those talents and skills that allowed you to secure that job that allowed you to earn the money to buy that house and that car?  When was the last time you thanked God for the job, the skills and talents you have been blessed with?

What are your treasures?

Nothing we have is ours!  It is God’s.  He has entrusted it to us to glorify Him with it!  If we spend it all on material possessions, and we spend all our time on earning the money to buy those possessions, we have also not been good stewards of the TIME or the money?  He has bestowed on us here on earth!

Matthew 6:20 (NIV) says ‘But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.’

Give Time and Money to God and to Others

People today seem to want MORE and MORE money and material possessions and are not content with any of it!  Just look at the suicides in the last year or so, of very successful and wealthy people.   Money and things do not bring Peace and Contentment.

Many rich (in money) men and women know loneliness and fear because wealth and fame has been their god and they have a ‘hole in their heart’.  Without God their lives have had no real meaning.

Just think of Scrooge in the Christmas Carol.   Joy finally came to him when he began to share his wealth with others.

Try spending more time with your family and less time chasing money.  Spend time in the Word of God and in prayer getting to know Him.   You will find peace and joy when you devote your self to God and Family first!

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Blessings to you all.   To God be the Glory!

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