Luke 16:13
No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and mammon."
In our busy, day to day world, we must prioritize our tasks to get through the week. Many of us put work at the forefront, pushing family or even our own downtime aside to get work done. Sometimes it's missing dinner with the family, missing a child's ball game or recital, or even skipping church. You might remember a time in our country when most businesses were closed on Sundays, Christmas, Thanksgiving or other days that were at one time considered sacred. The drive for the dollar and to get ahead has taken precedence over our lives. Is this what our Lord wants from us?
In the Gospel of St Luke, Jesus talks to his disciples about being honest and trustworthy in all matters, both large and small. In God's eyes, "very small matters" are the monetary ones, the worldly ones. Instead God wants us to take care of the spiritual matters. The matters that are great and that are eternal. Money cannot get you into heaven; you cannot buy your way in. You can work hard your entire life, but you cannot take that money with you. Many people on their dying days have said they wish they had more time to take care of what really matters°more time with family, more time at worship, more time and resources helping others. This lesson servers as a reminder to take care of the little things in life. Everything that God has given us is this world is really his and we cannot take it with us. When we do, we can also be trusted in the big things. We need to take an honest look at our lives and an inventory what our priorities are. After the list is made, look and see if Jesus is at the top of the list.
It's also a reminder not to cheat God in prayer and worship. It's good that you do your obligation and you go to church each week. But is your mind attentive? Are you just going through the motions, or going because the calendar says you have to? Is your heart in it, or are you thinking about other things? The evil one wants to keep us distracted, but we need to focus on what is more important. When you are at church this weekend, pray for a genuine encounter with the Holy Spirit, that the Spirit enter your heart so that you can go out into the world with your priorities in order.
