Inevitably Two Masters

[2nd Timothy Group]

I appreciate the Life of the Apostle Paul. Christ knows who will be His and who is not. We are drawn . . . which seems to negate the option of "choice."

Acts 22:6-14 NLT - "As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 8 "'Who are you, lord?' I asked. "And the voice replied, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting.' 9 The people with me saw the light but didn't understand the voice speaking to me. 10 "I asked, 'What should I do, Lord?' "And the Lord told me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.' 11 "I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions. 12 A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus. 13 He came and stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, regain your sight.' And that very moment I could see him! 14 "Then he told me, 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak."

Having felt the Raw, Almighty Power of God, I know, conclusively, that we are chosen . . . it is never the other way around. How can we choose Righteousness if our Father is the Devil? That's a tough nut to crack.

 

[Heart2Soul]

Who's benefit was Jesus saying it for? Right after this saying:

Luk 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
Luk 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

I think he was rebuking them as unrighteous stewards.
Because they was covetous. And justified stealing to make themselves comfortable for a rainy day.. so to speak.

Hugs

Indeed...they were corrupting the Lord's Temple and allowing it to become a place for money changers and a marketplace to buy and sell....
They coveted their prosperity using His Temple for their gain.

 

[GTW27]

Apparently Christ did say we will have to choose servanthood to one of two inevitable masters. You will hate God, and love money. Or, you will be devoted to God, and despise money.

You will have two masters, despising one (context); otherwise hating one. You can't be a (household) servant to the two.

Luke 16:13

"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 can not serve God and mammon."

I hate money. This was the first thing broken in me. I am poor, and yet I lack no good thing. My name is Rich and The Lord has made that name to come to pass.

 

[GTW27]

I hate money, too, Rich. I try not to judge others, but sometimes it is difficult to look at my holier-than-thou Christian neighbors with four or five new autos in their driveways (for their teenage kids, some of them). The piles of garbage they produce each week is sickening, too. Their homes are all lit up for Christmas (paganism), but I never put up lights or a tree. They can't stand my 1997 pick-up truck in my driveway. I, too, feel like a rich man because of the blessing God has brought upon me.

Jesus became poor(there was no room at the inn) that we might become rich, rich in Him. I was born Richard but to me that means king, I am not a king, but I am a son of The King of Kings. Let not these things bother you, for shortly, all things will be brought to Light. Have a Blessed Day!

 

[Bartholomew Jones]

This I have to get off my mind before I take on prior questions and challenges, along the lines we've begun...

There are two schools of Christians. One school SAYS they believe the Bible; in truth insofar as the world affirms it, they assent. What the world ignores, they too explain away.

The second school does what the Bible says; they're the remnant going back to Genesis.

Jesus: the way is narrow.
Daniel: A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. 7:10

 

[Ziggy]

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

 

[farouk]

This I have to get off my mind before I take on prior questions and challenges, along the lines we've begun...

There are two schools of Christians. One school SAYS they believe the Bible; in truth insofar as the world affirms it, they assent. What the world ignores, they too explain away.

The second school does what the Bible says; they're the remnant going back to Genesis.

Jesus: the way is narrow.
Daniel: A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. 7:10

@Bartholomew Jones John 17.17 'Thy word is truth' ; the verse also speaks of sanctification.

 

[farouk]

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

@Ziggy Walking the walk as well as talking the talk...

 

[Bartholomew Jones]

The problem with money being or fabricating a basis for measuring economy is this: 1) every modern "productive" work produces net consumption, not net production. 2) the only productive work, economically speaking, is leaving a section of earth more like it was on day six of creation. It's the only real thing you can leave to posterity. If you read the Bible carefully, not selectively, honestly and completely, it's clear as Sunday.

My background is accounting, and I've chosen to account for better things than money.

 

[farouk]

The problem with money being or fabricating a basis for measuring economy is this: 1) every modern "productive" work produces net consumption, not net production. 2) the only productive work, economically speaking, is leaving a section of earth more like it was on day six of creation. It's the only real thing you can leave to posterity. If you the Bible carefully, not selectively, honestly and completely, it's clear as Sunday.

My background is accounting, and I've chosen to account for better things than money.

@Bartholomew Jones It's laying up treasures in heaven, right?

 

[Ziggy]

The problem with money being or fabricating a basis for measuring economy is this: 1) every modern "productive" work produces net consumption, not net production. 2) the only productive work, economically speaking, is leaving a section of earth more like it was on day six of creation. It's the only real thing you can leave to posterity. If you read the Bible carefully, not selectively, honestly and completely, it's clear as Sunday.

My background is accounting, and I've chosen to account for better things than money.

I hear the proverb about the ant..

Pro 6:6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Pro 6:7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Pro 6:8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

Maybe it's the trytophan in the turkey that makes one tired after the 2nd or 3rd helping.. causes one to become sluggish, tired.
Too much riches causes idleness of hands. Why work if you have it all already?
It's in balance of debits and credits.. gives you a reason to keep moving forward.

You've got to give a little, take a little,
let your poor heart break a little
thats the story of, that's the glory of love

Hugs

 

[farouk]

I hear the proverb about the ant..

Pro 6:6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Pro 6:7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Pro 6:8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

Maybe it's the trytophan in the turkey that makes one tired after the 2nd or 3rd helping.. causes one to become sluggish, tired.
Too much riches causes idleness of hands. Why work if you have it all already?
It's in balance of debits and credits.. gives you a reason to keep moving forward.

You've got to give a little, take a little,
let your poor heart break a little
thats the story of, that's the glory of love

Hugs

@Ziggy Great verses from Proverbs there...

 

[Bartholomew Jones]

Here is what Jesus said...
And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

So this stewards master found out that he wasted what he was trusted with...

You can't assume anything. It says he received a report.

 

[Heart2Soul]

You can't assume anything. It says he received a report.

I didn't assume anything...it's right there in scripture.

 

[Bartholomew Jones]

I don't think I'd hire him..

Hugs

That's how most people I've worked with these days do their work. Think about it...everyone just happens to always know in advance when the "inspection" is coming, or when the big boss is coming, and that's when people get busy. Few people stick their neck out and say, "wait a minute, we should always put our best foot forward." I always think of Henry David Thoreau's Walden.

 

[Ziggy]

I didn't assume anything...it's right there in scripture.

I think he means you can't assume the report was accurate.
Maybe someone didn't like the steward and gave a false report to get him fired??
Just saying.. LOL
HUGS

 

[Heart2Soul]

I think he means you can't assume the report was accurate.
Maybe someone didn't like the steward and gave a false report to get him fired??
Just saying.. LOL
HUGS

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt...lol

 

[Bartholomew Jones]

I didn't assume anything...it's right there in scripture.

No. It says that there was a report that he had mismanaged. Not that he did necessarily mismanage. Later, it says he managed unjustly. In accountancy, there's always a measure of unjust records and management.

 

[Ziggy]

No. It says that there was a report that he had mismanaged. Not that he did necessarily mismanaged. Later, it says he managed unjustly. In accountancy, there's always a measure of unjust records and management.

But if you look at the context and who was listening. It sounds like to me he was scolding the Scribes and Pharisees who were in charge of the Lord's treasury.
That's why Jesus got mad with the counting tables and the market. They were getting rich and doing nothing to help the poor.

That's how I understood your OP.

Thank You
Hugs

 

[Heart2Soul]

I think he means you can't assume the report was accurate.
Maybe someone didn't like the steward and gave a false report to get him fired??
Just saying.. LOL
HUGS

Let's use a different translation...
Luk 16 (NKJV)
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¹ He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.
² So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'
³ Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.
⁴ I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'
⁵ So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
⁶ And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'
⁷ Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'
⁸ So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.