“No man 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.” (Matthew 6:24)
In this passage in Matthew 6, Christ does not say it is difficult to serve two masters, or that it is unwise, or dangerous; He says it is impossible. The human heart only accommodates one ruler, one loyalty. And where the choice isn’t settled, the life will never be settled either.
The desire for happiness is inherent in human nature. But there are two kinds of desires set before the will—earthly pleasures and spiritual joys. So the difference between a wise life and a wasted life does not come from whether someone desires happiness, but from whether that happiness is sought in God or in the world.
Paul disregarded every advantage the world could offer because he experienced the surpassing worth of Christ. His language in Philippians 3:8 is decisive, and even offensive by worldly standards. He states that, to him, all things become loss, refuse, and waste when compared to knowing Christ.
The sincerity of his choice is further proved by the use of the means he used to reach it. The carnal person may desire heaven in the abstract, but refuses the holiness required to attain it. Such desires are strangled by a stronger affection for ease, reputation, or indulgence. Because even though heaven is freely given, it is only entered through obedience and perseverance.
And those who sincerely choose heaven do not complain about the means. They engage them with energy and joy.[1] Desire drives effort because when the heart is fixed, the life follows. The psalmist did not say he merely wanted the house of the Lord; he sought it. His desires gave direction to his days and zeal animated his obedience.
In contrast, cold and sluggish obedience betray a divided heart and demonstrate an untiring diligence for profit and pleasure, reshaping day and night to serve selfish ends, while the work of salvation is pursued with indifference as though it hardly mattered.
Christ’s warning exposes this contradiction. A person cannot serve God while clinging to mammon as security, satisfaction, or identity. One will always command the other. So heaven must be chosen not only as a future hope, but as a present ruler. Anything less is not a choice at all.
Contemplations:
- My divided loyalties. I see how easily I try to keep God and the world both close, telling myself I can manage the tension. I pray, but I also calculate. I trust God with words, but I rely on comfort and security with my habits. This text strips away my excuses. If I am honest, something always ends up ruling me. I need to face what actually commands my time, my energy, and my fear.
- My shallow view of God. I know my heart wavers because my view of God is often faint. I think about Him in general terms, but not as the all-satisfying good. When I do not see Him clearly, other things grow large in my eyes. I need my understanding reshaped so that my will follows what is truly better.
- My resistance to the means. I say I want heaven, but I resist the path that leads there. I dislike discipline. I avoid costly obedience. I excuse delay. But if I truly valued the end, I would not despise the means. I need grace not only to desire heaven, but to embrace the holiness that prepares me for it.
- My false urgency. I am capable of intense effort for things that do not last. I reorganize my life for comfort and advancement, but approach eternal matters casually. That imbalance condemns me. It shows where my real priorities lie. I need my soul reordered so that eternal things press on me with weight and urgency, instead of me treating them as optional concerns.
Prayer (Supplication)
Lord God, You who search the heart and test the reins, I come before You exposed by Your Word. You said plainly that no one can serve two masters, but I have to confess that I have tried. I have attempted to divide my loyalty, to give You religious space while reserving control, comfort, and security for myself. I have spoken of heaven while clinging tightly to earthly assurances. Forgive me for the dishonesty of a divided heart.
I ask You now to deal graciously with my will. I do not want to waver between competing loves. I do not want to spend my days suspended between obedience and indulgence. I need You to clarify my vision so that my heart follows what is truly good. Show me the emptiness of the world when it pretends to promise safety or joy. Strip it of its false authority over my thoughts and fears.
Give me a sincere and entire choice of You as my chief good. I ask for a heart that values Your favor above all else and knows that without You nothing else satisfies. Heal my affections where they are distorted. Correct my desires where they are misplaced. Train my will to move toward what pleases You.
Help me not only to desire heaven, but to embrace the path that leads there. Give me a willing obedience that does not argue with Your commands or shrink back from difficulty. Make me diligent in the means You have appointed—prayer, repentance, obedience, self-denial—not as burdens but as necessary paths of life. Remove from me the spirit that wishes for the end while refusing the journey of faithfulness.
Deliver me from spiritual laziness. I am ashamed of how energetic I can be for lesser things while treating eternal matters lightly. Awaken my soul. Let eternal realities press on me with weight and clarity. Let the kingdom of heaven matter more to me than ease, reputation, or gain.
Lord, I cannot free myself from divided loyalties. I cannot purify my own will. I need Your grace to do what I cannot. Take my heart and rule it. Let Your truth command my actions. Let Your Spirit give me strength where I am weak. And let my life bear witness that You alone are worthy to be served.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Matthew 6:24:
Luke 16:13; 1 Kings 18:21; James 4:4; Rom. 6:16
[1] William Bates, The Sovereign and Final Happiness of Man with the Effectual Means to Obtain It, (London: J.D. for Brabazon Aylmer .., 1680), 96–103.
