"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 both God and Mammon!" Matthew 6:24
We had better look very carefully into the meaning of these words, remembering that it was our blessed Lord who spoke them. "Mammon" means riches. To "serve" means to be the slave of. Paul loved to call himself the servant or slave of Christ.
Now Jesus says here that we cannot be both God's slave — and mammon's slave too. We cannot belong to any two masters at the same time. If we are mammon's slave — then we are not God's slave. If we belong to God — then mammon is not our master.
Think, too, what a degrading thing it is for any human being — to be the slave of money! To use the word "serve" in its mildest English sense — no man should ever be the servant of money. Riches are meant to be man's slave. Now think how degrading it would be for any man to become a slave to his own slave! A man should be ashamed to call riches, his master.
Money is meant to be man's servant, and so long as he is its perfect master — it may be a blessing to him, and an instrument with which he may do great good. But when he gets down on his knees to it, and crawls in the dust for its sake, and sells his manhood to get it — then money is only a curse to him! Thus, it is easy to see why anyone who serves God — cannot also serve mammon. God must have all the heart, and must rule in all the life. He will not share His throne with the god of gold!
God's true servants may have money, and may even be very rich — but they must use their money as a means for honoring God and blessing the world in Christ's name.
They must own their money — their money must not own them.
They must carry it in their hands — not in their hearts.
This is a very important thing for us to learn. Many professors are in danger of forsaking the sweet, blessed service of Christ — for the servile, slavish service of mammon!
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J.R. Miller (1840 - 1912)
Prolific author and pastor of Presbyterian churches in Pennsylvania and Illinois, Rev. James Russell Miller served the USCC as a field agent in the Army of the Potomac and Army of the Cumberland.J.R. Miller began contributing articles to religious papers while at Allegheny Seminary. This continued while he was at the First United, Bethany, and New Broadway churches. In 1875, Miller took over from Henry C. McCook, D.D. when the latter discontinued his weekly articles in The Presbyterian, which was published in Philadelphia. J.R. Miller D.D.'s lasting fame is through his over 50 books. Many are still in publication.
James Russell Miller (March 20, 1840 - July 2, 1912) was a popular Christian author, Editorial Superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication, and pastor of several churches in Pennsylvania and Illinois.
In 1857, James entered Beaver Academy and in 1862 he progressed to Westminster College, Pennsylvania, which he graduated in June, 1862. Then in the autumn of that year he entered the theological seminary of the United Presbyterian Church at Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Mr. Miller resumed his interrupted studies at the Allegheny Theological Seminary in the fall of 1865 and completed them in the spring of 1867. That summer he accepted a call from the First United Presbyterian Church of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. He was ordained and installed on September 11, 1867.
J.R. Miller began contributing articles to religious papers while at Allegheny Seminary. This continued while he was at the First United, Bethany, and New Broadway churches. In 1875, Miller took over from Henry C. McCook, D.D. when the latter discontinued his weekly articles in The Presbyterian, which was published in Philadelphia.
Five years later, in 1880, Dr. Miller became assistant to the Editorial Secretary at the The Presbyterian Board of Publication, also in Philadelphia.