Hidden in Plain Sight

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24 NASB1995)

Before we get into the meat of this topic, I want to point out that the word translated here as “wealth” is not just about money or worldly possessions. The word has to do with the treasure a person trusts in. And a treasure doesn’t even have to be anything physical, although it can be. It can be anything we value, adore, hold on to, regard highly, cherish, and give our time, heart, passion, and desire to. It can even be a sinful habit (addiction).

So, the situation here has to do with our loyalty and devotion to God and to his teachings vs. our loyalty to other things or people or practices which we treasure. Is God truly in first place in our lives? Are we committed to his service and to obeying his commands (New Covenant)? Is our desire for him above all else? Or are we trying to juggle both God and the world, or both God and sin, or both God and the desires and trappings of the flesh?

Many are they who are trying to juggle both God and the world and the flesh, and it just doesn’t work that way. And there are many who outwardly present themselves as Christians, and as followers of Christ, but in secret, where no one but God sees, they are still fleshly, still serving the flesh and not God, even though they claim to be serving God. For they are the foolish, the immature, the irresponsible who are being led by the flesh and not God.

And so God is calling out to all who profess faith in Jesus Christ but for whom the trappings of this world and of the flesh are what they truly serve and not God. For they are the double-minded (two-souled), i.e. those with divided loyalties who vacillate between serving God and serving the flesh. They are like children on a teeter-totter going back and forth and up and down in belief and in practice whose god is really the god of this world.

And so God is calling out to them, and he is letting them know that they cannot serve God and the flesh. Either sin is what they obey, in practice, or God and his commands are what they obey, in practice. They cannot be on both sides at the same time going back and forth between them. And this is not talking about perfection. This is talking about where our hearts are truly located and who or what truly has our hearts and devotion and passion.

Although the Scriptures teach it is possible, as followers of Christ, that we might sin sometimes (1 John 2:1-2), the Scriptures all throughout both the Old and the New Testaments make it quite clear to us that if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord’s commands, that it equals unbelief which results in death and not in life eternal with God. For faith which comes from God must result in us dying to sin and obeying our Lord’s commands.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; Acts 26:18; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]   

Your Servant  

An Original Work / September 21, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Lord, I love to have You near me

As I go throughout my day,

Walking daily in Your footsteps,

As I humbly pray.

List’ning to You, hear You teaching

Me to live and work for You,

Lord, I pray You lead and guide me

Daily in Your truth.

Lord, I want to be Your witness,

Telling others of Your grace;

Telling how they can be set free

Of their sins today;

Share with them the love of Jesus,

He died on a cruel tree,

So that we’d be forgiven 

For all eternity.

Lord, I want to serve You only,

As I bow on bended knee,

Making You my Lord and master,

And Your servant be.

Humbly walking in obedience,

Doing what You say to me,

Lord, may I be an example

Of one who’s set free. 

https://vimeo.com/126318100

Hidden in Plain Sight

An Original Work / April 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love