Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters.”
He went on, “Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”
I think many of us – including myself – have been trying ever since to find a way around that simple truth.
Yesterday I summarized my take on Jesus’ words: Your life is shaped by the end you live for.
It was intended mostly as a nudge to myself, a reminder that accumulating a 401(k) isn’t the “end” I want to live for.
In a well-known parable, Jesus encountered a rich young man. After a discussion, Jesus told the man to sell everything he had and give the proceeds to the poor. The young man went away sad, unwilling to do as Jesus asked.
This passage is sometimes misinterpreted as Jesus commanding every wealthy person to divest their fortune and give everything away. I’m not sure that’s right.
Jesus knew this particular man’s heart, what he valued most. He offered him a better way, but it doesn’t mean that specific advice applies to every person.
The general principle: Whatever I value most, Jesus matters more.
As I was cranking my bike today, it occurred to me that Jesus was talking about idols. Wealth was an idol for the rich young man – Jesus wanted him to destroy it.
I asked myself – what’s my idol? And an odd idea occurred to me.
Is it possible I’ve turned The Freedom Tour into an idol? All the spreadsheets and computer time and emails – are they part of following Jesus, or have they somehow replaced him? I don’t have an answer, but as I cranked along I realized I’d have a tough time giving it up.
He and I need to talk about that.
What’s in your life that you would have a tough time releasing?
Your thought about something for His glory becoming an idol for us reminded me of the movie, The Book of Eli. Have you ever seen it? I remember it really hitting me when the main character realizes he had forgotten to live as the Bible teaches in his protection of a physical copy (possibly the last in the world). It had become an idol for him. On a re-watch, you see it even more. Powerful.