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“No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money.”
— *Matthew 6:24*
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”
— *1 John 2:15*
The central theme of these lyrics is absolute allegiance. Not partial, not divided, not shared. According to Scripture, every human being is serving one of two masters. There is no neutral ground. Jesus declares it with divine authority: “No one can serve two masters.” John confirms it by stating the same reality in another form: “Do not love the world.”
The song confronts the deepest issue of the Christian life: Who truly rules you? God, or something else? In this case Jesus names one of the main rival “gods”: money. John broadens it to “the world”—the system organized in independence from God, under the influence of Satan.
Many Christians try to live a double life: one hand raised to God, the other clinging to money, success, reputation, pleasure, or comfort. Jesus says such a life is impossible. You cannot serve two masters. You will always end up loving one and despising the other.
So we begin as Derek Prince often did: “Let us look at what the Word of God says.” Not what culture says, not what our feelings say, not what religious tradition says—but what the Lord Jesus Himself and the apostle John say.
### Matthew 6:24 – The Words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:24 is part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), in which Jesus describes the lifestyle and inner character of those who belong to His kingdom. In chapter 6, He deals especially with motives: why we give, why we pray, why we fast, and what we seek.
Just before verse 24, Jesus speaks about “treasures on earth” and “treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19–21). Treasures on earth are temporary, vulnerable, corruptible. Treasures in heaven are eternal and secure. He sums it up: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Then in verse 22–23, He speaks about the “eye” as the lamp of the body. If your eye is “single” (healthy, clear, focused), your whole body is full of light. If your eye is “evil” (bad, divided, coveting), your whole body is full of darkness. This is a question of focus, of inward direction.
Only then does He make the strong, unavoidable statement:
> “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money.”
> — *Matthew 6:24*
Jesus addresses disciples—people who have already left many things to follow Him. Yet He knows the subtle pull of another master. He names it: “mamōnas” (often translated “money” or “mammon”). We will return to that.
### 1 John 2:15–16 – The Apostle John Confronts Worldly Love
1 John is written to believers, emphasizing assurance, holiness, love, and discernment. John is an old man when he writes this. He has walked with Jesus. He has seen the early church grow and also face false teachers and creeping compromise.
He issues this direct command:
> “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”
> — *1 John 2:15*
John is not speaking of the physical creation (which God called “very good” in Genesis 1:31), nor of people (whom God loves—John 3:16). He is speaking about the *world system*—the organized order of human life which lives independently of God, under the dominion of Satan, the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
He explains what this world-love consists of:
> “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”
> — *1 John 2:16*
So we have two voices:
The lyrics simply echo and combine these two warnings into a single urgent call: “Choose this day whom you will serve—the Lord your God alone.”
### 1. “Serve” – Greek: δουλεύω (*douleuō*)
In Matthew 6:24, “serve” is *douleuō*. It comes from *doulos*, meaning “slave” or “bondservant.” It does not describe casual, part-time help. It describes absolute ownership and unquestioned allegiance.
*Douleuō* means “to be in slavery to, to be owned by, to be devoted as a servant.” A slave does not set his own agenda. He lives for the will of his master.
Jesus is not describing someone who merely “uses” money or occasionally sins. He is speaking about *mastery*. He does not say, “No one should serve two masters,” but “No one *can* serve two masters.” It is a statement of spiritual reality, not just a moral recommendation.
This word exposes the illusion of neutrality. Every person is a *doulos*—a slave—to someone: either to sin (Romans 6:17–20), or to righteousness and to God (Romans 6:22). There is no third category.
So when the lyrics say, “No one can serve two masters,” they are declaring: No one can be wholly owned by two opposing lords at the same time. One will claim your will, your affection, your energy.
### 2. “Money / Mammon” – Greek: μαμωνᾶς (*mamōnas*)
The word translated “money” in Matthew 6:24 is *mamōnas* (often brought into English as “mammon”). It originally referred to wealth or possessions, but in the New Testament it has a more personal, almost demonic flavor.
Jesus speaks of “mammon of unrighteousness” (Luke 16:9, 11). He sets mammon in direct opposition to God, as if it were a rival deity. That tells us something: money is not neutral when it becomes a master. It becomes a spiritual power that competes for your heart.
Mammon is not just coins or paper. It is wealth claimed, trusted, and served as a source of security, identity, and power independent of God. It is a spiritual power behind the love of money.
Paul says:
> “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
> — *1 Timothy 6:10*
The issue is not owning money. The issue is whether money owns you—whether mammon has taken the place that belongs only to God.
The lyrics repeatedly emphasize: “You cannot serve both God and money.” When we understand *mamōnas*, we see it is more than budgeting or financial planning. It is about spiritual allegiance. To trust in money for ultimate security is to bow to mammon. To count your life’s worth by your net worth is to worship another god.
### 3. “Love” – Greek: ἀγαπάω (*agapaō*)
In 1 John 2:15, the word “love” is *agapaō*, from which we get *agapē*. This is not shallow emotion. It is a settled choice of value, devotion, and commitment.
John is not saying: “Do not feel any emotion toward the world.” He is saying: “Do not set your devotion, your loyalty, your highest value on the world.” To *love* the world is to give it your heart’s allegiance. That allegiance is incompatible with love for the Father.
This explains why the lyrics do not call for balance but for choice: “Choose this day whom you will serve—the Lord your God alone.”
We will move through the main themes of the lyrics and align them with the wider teaching of Scripture.
### A. “No one can serve two masters…”
> “No one can serve two masters.
> Either you will hate the one and love the other,
> or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”
Jesus states four spiritual laws here:
1. You must have a master.
2. You can have only one master.
3. You will ultimately *love* one and *hate* the other.
4. You will be *devoted* to one and *despise* the other.
There is no lasting middle ground. Many Christians attempt it: “I will serve God, but I will also serve my career, my financial security, my ambition.” Jesus says it cannot be done. Over time, one will dominate.
If you cling to one master, you will inevitably belittle the claims of the other. If you cling to God, you will treat mammon as temporary, secondary, untrustworthy. If you cling to mammon, you will treat God’s authority, God’s Word, and God’s priorities as less pressing, less real.
This explains why compromise is so deadly. Every decision either strengthens your devotion to God or to another master.
### B. “You cannot serve both God and money… Choose this day…”
The repeated refrain in the lyrics echoes Joshua’s charge to Israel:
> “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
> — *Joshua 24:15*
God always brings His people to a point of decision. The choice is not primarily emotional, but volitional—an act of the will, grounded in truth.
Notice, both in Joshua and in Matthew 6, the word is “serve,” not “believe in.” Many claim to “believe in” God while serving something else. The question is: Who sets your agenda? Who defines success? Who commands your obedience when there is a cost?
In spiritual warfare terms, this is a lordship issue. Jesus is Lord *or* something else is lord. Paul says:
> “You are slaves of the one you obey.”
> — *Romans 6:16*
Obedience reveals your true master, not your vocabulary.
### C. “Do not love the world…”
> “Do not love the world or anything in the world.
> If anyone loves the world,
> love for the Father is not in them.”
The lyrics draw straight from 1 John 2:15. John does not offer a suggestion; he issues a command: “Do not love the world.” The grammar indicates a prohibition of ongoing action: “Stop loving the world; do not continue in that pattern.”
Then he states a stark spiritual diagnosis: if anyone *does* love the world, “love for the Father is not in them.” John is as absolute as Jesus. There is no room for double love at the highest level of devotion.
We must define “the world” here as John uses it. In context, 1 John contrasts:
In verse 16, John defines the world system as:
1. “The lust of the flesh” – cravings arising from fallen human nature: sensuality, gluttony, indulgence, comfort as god.
2. “The lust of the eyes” – covetousness, greed, materialism, the insatiable desire to possess what we see.
3. “The pride of life” – boasting in what we have and what we do: status, reputation, power, self-sufficiency.
John says plainly: these do *not* come from the Father. They “come… from the world.” Behind this system stands the ruler of this world, Satan (John 12:31; 1 John 5:19).
So when the lyrics move from “You cannot serve both God and money” to “Do not love the world,” they connect mammon with this broader world system. Mammon is one of the main instruments through which “lust of the eyes” and “pride of life” operate.
### D. Spiritual Warfare Dimension
When we speak of masters, allegiance, world-love, and mammon, we are speaking of spiritual warfare. This is not just moral struggle; it is conflict between two kingdoms.
Paul writes:
> “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
> — *2 Corinthians 10:4–5, ESV*
A “stronghold” is a pattern of thinking and desiring in which another master rules. When you look to money to secure your future, to define your worth, to grant you significance, that thought-pattern becomes a fortress resisting the knowledge of God as your Provider, your Father, your Source.
To renounce the service of mammon and the love of the world is to tear down strongholds in the mind and heart. It is a deliverance issue.
### E. The Inevitable Outcome
John goes on in 1 John 2:17:
> “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
Here we see the final contrast:
To serve mammon and love the world is to bind yourself to what will be destroyed. To serve God and love the Father is to anchor yourself in what cannot be shaken.
Therefore, the call of the lyrics is not harsh restriction; it is mercy. God is calling you away from a doomed master to the only Master who gives life.
We must move from theory to practice. How do we actually “choose this day” to serve the Lord alone and forsake the mastery of mammon and the love of the world?
### Step 1: Acknowledge and Renounce Competing Masters
First, we must face the truth. The Holy Spirit may point to specific areas where you have been serving mammon or loving the world. It may show in:
You begin by acknowledging: “Lord, I have allowed another master. I have loved the world in these areas.”
Then you renounce that master. Renunciation means a decisive, verbal rejection of its authority over you. For example:
“I renounce serving mammon. I refuse the love of the world. I reject the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. I choose to serve the Lord Jesus Christ alone.”
This is part of spiritual warfare. You are transferring your allegiance openly.
### Step 2: Establish Jesus as Lord in the Area of Money
Second, we must bring our financial life under the lordship of Christ. This is not abstract. It includes:
Every time you put God’s instruction first in your use of money, you are proclaiming: “Jesus is my Master, not mammon.”
### Step 3: Redirect Your Love – Set Your Affection on Things Above
Third, we must redirect our love. The heart cannot be emptied; it must be re-filled. Paul commands:
> “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
> — *Colossians 3:2*
Jesus says:
> “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
> — *Matthew 6:33*
Practically, this means:
The more you see the beauty of God and the reality of His kingdom, the more cheap the world’s offers appear.
### Step 4: Maintain a Life of Confession and Proclamation
Fourth, we must regularly align our mouth with God’s Word. Derek Prince taught that biblical confession means saying with your mouth what God says in His Word about you and your situation.
Use Scripture to maintain your allegiance:
As you proclaim these truths, you weaken the lies of mammon and the enchantment of the world.
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, thoughtfully and deliberately:
“I declare that Jesus Christ is my only Lord and Master.
I cannot serve two masters; therefore I refuse the mastery of mammon.
I renounce the love of money, the love of the world,
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
I choose this day whom I will serve: I and my house will serve the Lord.
My treasure is in heaven, therefore my heart is set on things above.
I will not love the world, for the world and its desires are passing away.
I choose to do the will of God, and in Christ I abide forever.
The Lord is my Source, my Provider, my Security, and my Reward.
By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit,
I serve God alone and no other master.
Amen.”
### Prayer
“Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for Your clear Word. I confess that at times I have given place to other masters—especially mammon and the love of this world. I ask You to forgive me, to cleanse me, and to break every hold of these false masters over my life.
Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You as my only Lord. Take Your rightful place in every area of my life—my heart, my mind, my finances, my ambitions, my relationships. By Your Spirit, expose any hidden loyalty to the world and to its lusts. Give me grace to repent quickly and obey fully.
Holy Spirit, write these truths on my heart. Teach me to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Fill me with love for the Father that leaves no room for the love of the world. Strengthen me to walk in contentment, generosity, and obedience.
I receive Your deliverance from the power of mammon and the world-system. I choose this day to serve the Lord my God alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
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