“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”-Luke 16:13 KJV
First of all, what is “mammon”? Some say it is the pursuit of great wealth. Still others say it is evil. Either way, this Bible verse simply says you can not serve both.
Does that mean you can not pursue material comfort for your family. No. But it does mean that serving God must come first! And we have to be very careful that we actually see the truth of what we are doing:
“He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.”-Luke 16:15
Because we are human, it is so easy for us to fool ourselves. To convince ourselves, for example, that our pursuit of wealth is for the sake of another (often our families). Or that we deserve it, lol. But the truth is all good gifts come from God, and that is something we need to recognize and honor.
If you struggle with putting other things first, whether it is your family, money, a bad habit, a particular sin… I do too 🙂
But together, we need to put God first, for He put us first 🙂
And remember what it says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”