No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
~~~ Matthew 6:24 NLT:
Each day we wake up with a burning desire that all will go right. We want harmony in our family and our relationships. We seek to love and be loved, to forgive and be forgiven so that our lives are a blessing to ourselves and all we touch. We spend time learning and seeking to be the best person that we can possibly become. Our lives are all full of self-improvement plans and schemes for a longer and happier life. When things go wrong, we search for a new plan to make it right again. How can we make it happen?
Our first consideration should be to ask ourselves what is the center/soul of our existence. Contemplative monk Thomas Merton says that our lives must center on the spiritual. Further, he asserts that there is no such thing a “half spiritual” but only fully spiritual. We live in a world that allows us numerous options. These options tell us that somehow we can influence, persuade, push, or buy our way to fulfillment. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Contentment only comes when we realize that we cannot be a servant to earthly things alone. We were created in the image of God and that means our DNA is spiritual, not temporal. The fall of mankind at the beginning of time is rooted and grounded in mankind’s rejection of that reality. With that rejection, we began the constant struggle of doing it for ourselves. That struggle has led to broken relationships, depression, wars, violence, and misery.
Merton and Jesus call us to a new focus. That focus is a reboot of our lives that sets us on a course to understand whose we are and how we live worthy of His image that is implanted in us. It begins with a singular focus on our spiritual nature. Most of us live temporal lives and tune into our spiritual selves when needed or absolutely necessary.
That course begins with a simple decision to live through God and God alone. That doesn’t mean we will isolate ourselves to monastic life. As we commit to live in Him first we live better in the world. Popularity, power, and wealth take on a new meaning and difficult decisions are easier because we know who is in charge. The decision to serve Him brings an incredible freedom to our lives and this freedom takes away so many fears and struggles. Such freedom sets us on a course of fulfillment that can be found in no other place.
It is my hope that each of us can discover that freedom that comes through self-discovery. You, me,all of us, are created in the image and likeness of God and are hardwired to be one with him.
No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other.
~~~Jesus
PRAYER
Lord, As we travel through the times of brokenness in our lives let us have the trust in you that carries us through. You have given us brokenness so that we may see you in a different and greater light. We invite that light into our broken and shattered lives. We embrace our brokenness as the way that we pass through to greater times and new understanding. Comfort us this day and bring us into tomorrow.
Amen
A Pastor's Thoughts 