Day 21: Passionate Church
Daily Devotional
Matthew 6:24
24“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
In today’s passage, Jesus teaches us an important principle concerning the heart. In the same way a servant can’t serve two masters; our hearts can only choose to obey one master at a time. The reason is, there will be a time when both masters gives the servant or heart a command where only one master can be obeyed. And as a result, Jesus says either the servant will hate the first master and love the second master, or the servant will be devoted to the second master and despise the first master. But one thing is made clear here, the servant or heart cannot serve, love, and be devoted to two masters. With this in mind, Jesus then tells us “You cannot serve God and wealth (money or possessions).” Therefore, Jesus is calling for us to make a choice. Stop spending your life miserably trying to please two masters as it is impossible, but decide today who or what will be the master that has control over your life? If you choose God, then we need to arrange our lives in such a way that reflects a heart that loves and is devoted to Him. We need to make Him our passion and seek the great reward of pleasing Him as Lord. We need to lay aside all distractions, temptations and concerns from this world that tries to be your master. In other words, eliminate the competition that dampens your passion for Jesus and tries to lure your heart Him. If you feel your passion and love for God has grown cold, than it is time to identify who is Lord over your heart. Is Jesus Lord over your life or is there something else that is captivating and leading your heart at this moment? If we want to be a church that is passionate for Jesus, then each of us needs to make a daily choice. We need to choose one master and leave the other behind because as Jesus stated before you can’t follow both. To conclude today’s devotional consider this quote by missionary Hudson Taylor “Christ is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.”
Weekly Application
Being part of a passionate church is to have a burning desire to live for Christ and to seek His kingdom first. You can do this by taking intentional steps to prioritize your relationship with Jesus. God desires to kindle your heart and renew your mind so begin each day by asking God to give you a hunger for His Word and a zeal for prayer. As you go through the day, keep your eyes fixed on Christ by being intentional about everything that you do. There may be areas of your life that need to be repurposed to reflect the love and glory of our Lord Jesus. Walking with God in this way will prevent you from becoming lukewarm in your devotion and it will cultivate a passion for Christ that will transform your heart and mind.