My morning routine includes reading through the Bible once a year.  This morning I was reading in the first book of Chronicles in the Old Testament, but I also read daily in the New Testament as well, and it seems to me that the Lord has lately had me in the book of Matthew.

This morning in the Gospel According to Matthew, I was in chapter six, my eyes fell upon verse twenty-four where we hear Jesus say, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God AND Mammon."

Either this statement is true or it is false. Considering where Jesus got His teaching from, it is guaranteed that it is true .  Listen to what God is recorded as saying to us in Matthew chapter sixteen verse five: "This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased! Listen to Him!"
In the way that word 'listen' is used, it includes more than just physically hearing, or even actively listening carefully, but also responding in obedience. God The Father is telling us to listen and respond to obedience to Jesus telling is that our loyalty can only be placed in one ultimate and final authority.  We cannot have several equal authorities in our lives.  Jesus tells us the truth about how we Humans are designed to function. We are not designed to be able to have more than one main loyalty.  Because if we try to?  Well, Jesus explains what happens when we attempt to do that...

You will end up loving one and hating the other. Wow!  Think about this. So if you love anything more than God, you will end up hating the Lord God.
What if you end up choosing God first?  Well, then in comparison to loving God, you will end up putting others second, and you will probably accused by those being put second of hating them. Because in every decision you make, you must decide WHO you want to please. Sometimes when you please the Lord, you may also end up pleasing those who in that decision want the same thing that God wants. But many times you will discover God wants the opposite of what most people want. 

This verse is key to understanding the surrounding verses in Matthew. How so?   Well, for example, in chapter six, talking to God is meant to be a genuine conversation with God, not a show put on primarily for a human audience. This means you had better already be serving Jesus Christ, and intentionally seeking to do His will.   IF your heart is set like that, your prayers will be genuine, real. 
The same could be said about the things you do for others, as Jesus speaks about in chapter six, verses one through four. Who are you pleasing with your words and actions?  Jesus or people?
What about your acts of self-denial- such as fasting, as Jesus explains in chapter six verse eighteen?  You can not do them fully for both Jesus Christ, and fully for yourself or some other person.  What about your treasures?  In other words, the things that are important to you?  Traditionally many Bible scholars focus on literal material treasure, but this is too narrow a difintion. The point is not the value of the valuables, but rather, do we treasure God more or other people's approval, applause and happiness?  Matthew six verse 21 is where Jesus explains to us why what we value is so important;  Because its where our heart is...in other words, your love, appreciation, is either upon pleasing God, or it is not on pleasing Him, but pleasing self, and other people.  Jesus then, in verse 32, gives a strong visual to contrast a person who has his or her sight set on pleasing God with a person who has his or her sight set on pleasing self.  When we put God first, we are illuminated, and walk by God's light. We are no longer spiritually blind. But when we are stingy toward God and others, and ignore putting God first, it is like having our eyes blind-folded, and we walk in darkness, and stumble and do not shine for others so they can get a glimpse of God's generosity and goodness.  Jesus refers to this as "terrible darkness". 

And that's at the point in Jesus' teaching that He tells us we must deliberately choose who we serve as our Master, as the one we wish to please.  And this teaching is what I am alluding to in my poem "Loyalty". 

Now continuing to listen to Jesus, he next clarifies how this applies to your life and mine. "That's why I tell you to stop being worried or anxious ( perpetually uneasy, distracted)  about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear." [ from the Amplified Study Bible ].   Do we see the connecction?  If we follow Mammon rather than God, in other words, if you choose to serve our flesh rather than the Lord, we will be anxious, fearful, without peace. This teaching is so applicable during these crazy, unpredictable times, right?  Jesus spends more time giving more detail and examples then gets to His main point (and God's main point) in verse thirty-three, " Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness"  In Matthew, God's will being done on Earth, in the here and now, is referred to as "The Kingdom".  How do I arrive at this definition of the Kingdom?  Easy, just read Matthew chapter six, verse ten. Where God's will is being done in obedience, well that's where God's invisible work is being seen. 

This refers back to Matthew chapter five, verses one through eleven. Question, in the Sermon on the mount, was Jesus teaching the entire crowd that day or only certain people?  Read verse one for the answer: "His (Jesus') disciples- those who were being trained to follow His life-style- came to Him, then He ( Jesus ) began to teach THEM." wHY is it important to know exactly who Jesus was teaching?  Read verse thirteen-  because it is the place where Jesus clarifies who the "Salt" is.  Is is not just anyone.  Not the unbelievers. The Salt is His illustration of the disciple- those who are listening and watching Him in order to follow and obey Him. What is the "salt"?  Well, what the salt but disciples who have certain characteristics, which are listed in verses three through twelve. When a Christian fails to have the characteristics listed, they have "lost their essence..or their "saltiness".  A disciple who knows how to follow Jesus, but doesn't, is any good to anyone. In fact, such disobedient Christians actually cause people to distrust and become turned off to Jesus Christ and His community.  I have sought the Lord's  explanation of this portion of His Word, and He has rewarded my diligence:  Verse fourteen of Matthew chapter five refers ahead to Matthew six verse twenty-two, to how a disciple who is salty begins to  "shine" and make God's glory visible to all those around him or her. 

In fact, I believe that the history of the United States is found in these verses.  (In fact, the history of EVERY Nation on Earth, as well as Israel's).  No, do not misunderstand me. I am NOT claiming that the literal United States in prophesied in Matthew.  wHAT I am saying is that the same spiritual progression is evident. When Jesus began His ministry, people were for Him or against Him. But as time passed, those who were against Him, whose eyes ( their view of Jesus) became more resistant to Him, the darker their hearts ( affections) became, and as it says near to end of the Matthew Five, verses three through twelve list- "People will insult you ( faithful disciples) and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because you obey Jesus Christ..."  We now see this happening in the United States. Folks, right NOW, today, people's loyaly is being decided. That's why I wrote this poem. Because while our individual destinies as Christ's own is secure, our Nation's destiny may end up going the same way Israel's did. Jesus warned His people that time was running out. Jesus chastized them for not being honest enough to recognize the state of decline that was plain for all to see. I am not trying to frighten anyone. Jesus said that those who follow Him do not have to fear those who can only kill the body. But God gave Jesus' generation forty years to come to their senses, but they DID NOT, and Israel was broken up and ceased to have a homeland!  Please read my now poem "Loyalty"
 

DDavid