Luke 16:13

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

How good are you at multitasking? Often think I am capable of doing several things at once – working on a computer, watching a game, talking on the phone grabbing a bite to eat – but I think too highly of myself. Inevitably, my focus drifts, and instead of doing several things well, I fail to get the full benefit of any of the activities.

To do two things at once is to do neither well.

Jesus realized the value of focusing on one thing above all others so He commands us to have a one-track mind when it comes to serving Him.

Jesus is certainly speaking of money in this passage, but there is an application in an area that competes in our devotion and service to God. In his first epistle, John warns of three broad areas of competition –

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2: 15-16).

John 10:10 reminds us that Jesus has an “abundant life” in mind for us, but that life comes from a life fully committed to him – a one-track mind.

So the question we must all consider is whether or not there is anything or anyone that challenges our devotion to God. We cannot have it both ways.