LUKE 16:13-15: “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” NKJV

OBSERVATION: Are my values upside down? Am I walking in the wisdom of this world or the wisdom of God? Are my affections directed to the things which will endure or those that are perishing? Jesus boldly proclaimed,

“For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

What is highly esteemed among men? Success, accomplishment, money, status, prestige, possessions, and influence are among the things that this world clamors for. We celebrate the rich and deride the poor. We celebrate the beautiful and ignore the plain. We celebrate success and distance ourselves from those who are making it one day at a time. James reminds us,

James 2:5-7: “Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?” NKJV

“For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Some will strongly object! There is nothing wrong with being successful. There is nothing wrong with being rich. There is nothing wrong with having the best this world has to offer. And, it may surprise you, but Jesus would agree with these objections. If there is nothing wrong with these things, then why does Jesus say on the other hand that they are an abomination in the sight of God?

Jesus is addressing the heart of those who possess them, not the possessions themselves. Position, money, and possessions are merely things. It is how they affect our hearts that is at issue. So, Jesus goes on to say,

Luke 16:9-12: “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” NKJV

Anything tied to this life is temporary. We will not take our cars, homes, jewelry, titles, or earthly awards with us into the next life. Yet, all of these are seeds that are to be planted for the next life. In other words, it is a matter of stewardship. Those whom God has gifted in areas of business and other enterprises that lead to worldly success must hold these things lightly and use them for the Kingdom of God. Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, reminds us,

Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” NKJV

My father taught me a very important truth. He said, “Son, ten cents and a title will never buy you a cup of coffee!” My father had many titles in his life, but he never placed importance on any of them. Battling with Alzheimer’s at the end of his life, he forgot all of his earthly accomplishments, but he remembered one little song. He would stop strangers, take them by the hand, and begin to sing it to them.

“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so,

Little ones to Him belong, They are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus loves me,

Yes, Jesus loves me, The Bible tells me so!“

I believe this showed that my Dad lived his life with the right priorities all the way until the end. When my father entered the presence of Jesus, he took nothing with him except his love for Jesus. Yet, he left behind something so much richer than all the worldly accomplishments he had achieved. He left a little song in my heart and the hearts of others that reminded us of the most important thing in life –

JESUS!

As I review the accumulation of a lifetime of work, I pray that at the end of my life, the only thing that will matter to me and the legacy I leave will be the legacy my father left to me. Heavenly Father, I lay down every title, every possession, and every dime at the foot of the Cross. May my priority, my testimony, my life be, in the words of my Dad,

“Jesus Loves Me, this I know!”

In Jesus’ Name!