Articles
The Devoted Heart
"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” (Matthew 6:24).
“Mammon” represents anything that is worldly. Actually, the word means riches, but the message and application is much broader. Jesus is warning to watch for the divided heart. He says, “You can’t have two masters. You must make a choice: You must be loyal to God or loyal to the world.”
We are all probably more challenged with this than we would care to admit. It is easy to sing “Holy to the Lord” on Sunday, but the real challenge comes when we leave the worship assembly. That is where we feel the pull of the world.
Paul alludes to such struggles, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Romans 7:19). Notice the difference between what “I will” and what “I practice.” It is easy for the God-fearing to resolve to abstain from worldly actions and attitudes, or resolve to bear the fruits of righteousness only to be exposed to the subtle influences of the world.
God does not want the divided heart. He wants every corner of your life. We must find the places where the world seeps in, close up the gaps, and place our entire focus on the Lord!
