JUN 17

2 Timothy 2:22
Memorise 3 John 1:11
"...no servant can serve two masters."

The call in 2 Timothy 2:22 for us to follow after righteousness is clear. The call is to flee youthful lusts and follow after righteousness, faith, charity and peace. One is to “flee” and another is to “follow”. There is no doubt about how different these two actions are. To flee is to run away, not walk or hang around casually, but to escape in fear as quickly as possible and with all the might one can muster. On the other hand, to follow is to pursue, with diligence and earnestness. To add to this, Christ taught in Matthew 6:24; “No man can serve two masters... Ye cannot serve God and mammon”. Mammon here symbolizes the things of this world. Christ taught that no one can serve both God and the things of the world. “...for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” Christ used the words “love” and “hate” to illustrate the stark contrast between the way we should feel about God compared with the things of the world which often leads us to sin.

The lusts of the world are often so tempting and by pursuing after them, it is not long before we end up in sin. Some of us cannot give up our pet desires even when it infringes on God’s Word and would continue to harbour a love for some so-called “little” sins while assuming that we can still please God with other aspects of our lives. We continue to go to church, even serve in ministries and we think there is nothing wrong, for life seems to go on. Dear Teen, be careful, God is not mocked. By living this double life, your soul continues to take a downward spiral as sin takes a greater stronghold over you. Before long, sin would have run its full course (James 1:15). It is clear from our study that we cannot serve two masters. It is not possible to love sin and claim to love God at the same time. Whether we admit it, if we love sin, we would have already hated God. We have to hate sin if we are to follow after God in sincerity and purity. It is simply not possible to have both.

Thought: Are there still “pet” sins in my life that I am not willing to give up?
Prayer: Lord, please reveal to me all unrepented sins in my life.