SERVE WHOM OR WHAT

I was going to do a study in the Bible on the word ‘serve’ but stopped with the first verse that came up in my search list, Matthew 6:24. I began to do a study on a few of the words and this is what I found.

Matthew 6:24  "No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.

First I looked at the word ‘serve’ in the Strong’s concordance

#1398  Part of Speech: Verb  Transliteration: douleuó

Phonetic Spelling: (dool-yoo'-o)

Short Definition: I am a slave, am subject to, obey

Definition: I am a slave, am subject to, obey, am devoted.

(figuratively) to willingly give over the prerogative to be self-governing. See 1401 (doulos).

To serve something or someone makes me subject to them or to it. I am devoted to what I’m a slave to. I no longer govern myself.

‘money’  #3126  Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine

Transliteration: mamónas

Phonetic Spelling: (mam-mo-nas')

Short Definition: riches, money, possessions

Definition: (Aramaic), riches, money, possessions, property.

126 mammōnás – a Semitic term for "the treasure a person trusts in" (J. Thayer) who is transliterated as "mammon."

Money in this verse isn’t just the cash we have it is what we trust in. It can be our possessions, what we ‘own’.

Matthew 6:24  "No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.

Now that you know what ‘serve’ and ‘money’ means in the Greek, would you say you are serving God with your whole heart? Or are you serving the cash in your pocket, your home or the games you play?

Don’t let the word ‘slave’ throw you off, ‘am devoted’ is also listed and it means – “Feeling or displaying strong affection or attachment”.

I don’t know about you but when I have a strong affection towards someone I desire to please them and therefore I ‘serve’ them.

Are you following me?

An example – I love (have a strong affection towards) my husband, therefore I desire to fix his coffee and serve it to him when he wakes every morning. I know that’s a small example but it helps make my point. I’m not doing it for selfish reasons, I truly want to ‘serve’ my husband in love and there are some awesome benefits of doing this type of serving J

If you haven’t already, you should take the time to check out all the benefits of serving our Father. They far outweigh anything cash, a home or a few games can give us in this life. In fact, the benefits are eternal.

Now on to the word ‘money’ - money, possessions, property

Often when we read this verse we think of cash, it’s a choice between God and cash, but that is not true. As you see in the Greek definition it is also possessions or property.

So now we have, are you going to serve God or cash, jewelry, games, house, food, tv and the list goes on.

We have a decision to make, what is yours? Will you serve your Creator or will you seek those things that are temporary?

Will you serve God with a devotion that just wants to lift Him up and show the world how wonderful He is? Or would you rather say you believe in God and then live like those in the world - chasing after selfish things that will break or rot away?

Have you replaced God and His power with a workshop, a prayer group, a counselor or a best friend? We need to know what God says in His Word so we do not place anything or anyone above Him. It is God who heals us, blesses us, gives us a way out when tempted, forgives us and shows us the way – the path He has for us and it’s to bring Him all the glory, honor and praise – it is to bring other people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

I do not have anything against a good Bible based study, counselor, etc. What I do have a problem with is these places or people adding to or taking away from God’s Word. When it becomes a gossip, talk bad about other people, find the answer in you type of thing. Always make sure to check God’s Word against what you are being taught, don’t just take someone’s word for it. And if they talk bad about other people, encourage you to feel sorry for them instead of helping them live according to God’s Word – run!! There is power in God’s Word and in our lives when we seek Him with all our soul, heart and mind.

I say these things because I’ve been there and stayed there with no victory – sympathy did not give me victory or the strength to overcome – but those that taught/teach Truth and gave me their faith, and God’s Word to live by – then I began to have victory through Jesus Christ…..I’m moving forward.

The Power of the Tongue

The power of the tongue – words can damage the soul

They may not have touched me in their flesh but they beat me with their words – who you ask – that doesn’t matter, what matters is I have victory and that is the path I choose to stay on.

I thought I had gotten released from the hurt deep inside from verbal abuse, from being told I won’t amount to anything, can’t do anything right, you must stay thin or your man will leave, enjoy life now because once you grow old blah blah blah

Unfortunately, not knowing who I was in God, I believed and accepted these things into my life.

There were all kinds of people that took advantage of this and more abuse came. I thought I deserved it until I met God and He has shown me through His word and through my husband just how special and loved I am. That I am who God says I am and no longer have to believe the lies of other hurting people.

With that said, for several days now I have felt angry and hurt not knowing why. So I began to pray and darn it if my husband didn’t notice something was wrong and it irritated him and yep we had a spat but these are few and far between and we know it’s not going to bring up the D word!! We know because of who we are in Christ and that we want to love and honor God and we are committed to each other,  we will defeat the enemy this time too!

Anyway, anxiety/dizziness/lack of confidence began to creep it’s way back in – big flag for me because it’s been years!

As I prayed and the Lord began to show me things I now see that there is still a very deep hurt in me that has never been healed, never really released it’s just been covered over as I keep a smile on my face. One of my deepest hurts in our youngest daughter walking away from her family and this brings up those old lies that I thought had been put to rest.

God has healed me of so many things and they have been in stages because if He shows me everything at once He knows I could not handle it. Therefore, I’m grateful for the times of rest before we begin another cleansing, which gives me another testimony and hopefully helps someone else as it helps me.

So here I go on a journey of letting go of hurtful words that most people have no idea wounded me. And that I never should have allowed to get so deep inside me, to open up that wound again. So there is no pointing of my finger because I’ve heard it said when you point one finger forward the other 3 are pointing back at you. And I believe if we take this attitude with our brothers and sisters in Christ we will see a great advancement in His kingdom. The gossip and backbiting would stop and we would all truly work together to do what He has called us to do. We may have different personalities, likes and dislikes, different levels on our spiritual walk BUT we have a common goal…..opps I got off on another topic J maybe I’ll do one on working together in the church, what I have, what I am learning!

So whether it’s an unbeliever or a believer that speak unkind words I must remember it is not an attack on me. We all have bad days, things that have happened to us that open wounds that have not healed completely – I need to remember this could be happening to them as well. They could have  received bad news, something I did or said could have triggered a bad memory in them,  you never know what is going on.

If I know God’s Word and can pray it, speak it and forgive then that wound is going to heal, completely and that is what I want!

So I will remember Psalm 31:19-21

Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear, revere, and worship You, goodness which You have wrought for those who trust and take refuge in You before the sons of men! In the secret place of Your presence You hide them from the plots of men; You keep them secretly in Your pavilion from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord! For He has shown me His marvelous loving favor when I was beset as in a besieged city.

And

Psalm 32:7

You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

I was reading a book and this really jumped out at me, ‘Whether we talk to ourselves or others, speaking evil or negative words that do not agree with God’s Word can create bondage. Words that others speak about us or write against us – if we agree with them – keep us in bondage!’  From A Woman’s Guide to Breaking Bondages

Proverbs 12:18

There are those who speak rashly, like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

The words we speak can be a blessing or a curse, we can bring healing or hurt in the words we speak- whether to the person or behind their backs.

Proverbs 18:21a

¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue

I could go on and on but will close with

Isaiah 54:17

But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord.

And a prayer from the above mentioned book.

Lord Jesus, You knew rejection, abandonment, pain and betrayal by those close to you. So you can identify with my hurts and wounds. Yet, Lord, as you hung on that cross, bleeding and dying from wounds you didn’t deserve, You actually asked Your Father to forgive Your offenders. Lord, please help me to forgive each person who has abused, rejected, or cursed me. Right now I honestly don’t feel some of them deserve forgiveness. But because I want my relationship with You to be right, I choose to forgive and set myself free. (help me love them as you love them – I added this). Lord, I ask you to heal my painful memories. Help me to anticipate with joy what you have in store for my life, now that I’m on the road to healing. Your Word says you complete the work you start. Thank you that you will finish my healing, and that you will never leave me nor forsake me. Amen