“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will HATE the one and LOVE the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (mammōnas: riches, wealth).” (Luke 16:13) We cannot just live for the “now”.
The problem is that, by “living for the now,” we miss the whole point of our existence, the very purpose for which we were created. God made us for the RELATIONSHIP OF HIS PERFECT LOVE. But if we’re always chasing after other things, we’ll never experience the fullness of that love. There’s a big difference between a halfhearted approach to God and wholehearted devotion. God spoke through Hosea saying, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to SEEK THE LORD, Till He comes and RAINS RIGHTEOUSNESS ON YOU. You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity. Because you trusted in your own way…” (Hosea 10:12-13)
Breaking up our fallow ground, “Do not sow your seed among thorns”, i.e., break off all your evil habits. The apostle John said, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for WHEN YOU LOVE THE WORLD, (no man can serve two masters) you DO NOT HAVE the LOVE OF THE FATHER IN YOU. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is NOT OF THE FATHER but is of the world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will LIVE FOREVER.” (1 John 2:15-17)
We must LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL our heart, soul and mind, it’s not a suggestion its is the, “the first and greatest commandment…” (Matt. 22:37-38)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham