Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
"Mammon" here represents earthly riches and possessions, which are often a stumbling block in the path of many who desire eternal life. When the rich young ruler in Matthew chapter 19 was faced with the choice of either Christ or riches, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. One of the great misconceptions harbored in the minds of many people, is that the religion of the Bible makes one poor. There is nothing further from the truth, for whenever the principles of God's word are implemented consistently, and in a balanced format, the result is prosperity, as is clearly stated in the Bible. Let's read:
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
The problem arises when we allow the love of material wealth and riches to usurp the place of God in our hearts, giving the best of our time and talents to acquiring wealth, while Jesus sits on the back-burner of our priorities. Loving God supremely, and serving our fellowman is all that the scriptures require, and we have the assurance, that if by the grace of God, our priorities are kept in the right order, all the other things we have need of will be added unto us. We therefore end with a few verses of scripture which demonstrate the correct view of the issues we discussed above. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 8:11 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes"... 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God"... 17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth"...
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!