Matthew 6:19-24
Serving Two Masters
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Matthew 26:10-13
Jesus Says We Will Always Have the Poor
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Jesus says we cannot serve two masters...Is it possible that the richer the nations and their economies, the less those people in those nations think and believe we need God and His Son?...John Wesley wrote that, “I fear, wherever riches have increased, the essence of religion has decreased in the same proportion...Therefore, I do not see how it is possible, in the nature of things, for any revival of religion to continue long...For religion must necessarily produce both industry and frugality, and these cannot but produce riches...But as riches increase, so will pride, anger and love of the world in all its branches.”...
When Jesus talked about treasures and what true wealth is, it seems that He agrees with the basic argument of Wesley here...And the argument is that we cannot seem to serve two masters no matter how hard we try...We mess up in trying to serve two masters, and God seems to be the One we leave out...
A large part of Jesus followers were the poor...He drew the poor, the needy, those on the fringe of society...And because He said we will always have the poor maybe they poor and needy will keep us in His hope and help us strengthen our faith...