Monday Readings Cleansing of the Lepers

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13
But just now Timothy has returned to us from you, bringing us the good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us and long to see us as we long to see you. Because of this, we have been reassured about you, brothers, in our every distress and affliction, through your faith. For we now live, if you stand firm in the Lord. What thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you, for all the joy we feel on your account before our God? Night and day we pray beyond measure to see you in person and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith. Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Praise be to God always.
Matthew 6:22-24
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be. “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. This is the Truth. Peace be with you.

Many people have faith in their checkbook or bank account, “there is money in it, I can spend it;” and they spend their days increasing their net worth. “I have a million, I want 5 million.” Do we serve money? Do we live for money? Do we have faith in money? …Or do we serve, live for, and have faith in God. Money is not evil, but if we let money rule us this is evil. Money should be used to glorify God, not only what is left over or only 10%, but all of it. This does not mean giving all of one’s money to the poor, but it means using all of one’s money for God’s glory. Is the car I am buying for my glory or so that I can better serve and glorify God? Is the phone I am buying for my glory, or so that I can better serve and glorify God? Will I glorify God with the clothes I am buying, or am I trying to glorify myself? We can see the money that passes through our hands as a gift from God for His glory and His service and instead of us serving mammon, we use the money to serve God. Jesus came to be light to our eyes so that we might live a full, joyful, generous, self-giving, loving life in whatever profession and in whatever size house, serving God through doing everything for His glory.