But if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the very light in you [your conscience] is darkened, how dense is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in). Matthew 6: 23-24 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
Talk about divine intervention! Just when you were about to throw in the towel on one of your characters delivering the perfect quote, whammo! Inspiration struck like a bolt of lightning or a rogue brick in a game of spiritual dodgeball.
Picture this: I’m knee-deep in worship prep, mulling over 1 John 3, when out of the blue—or should I say, from the divine above? —the perfect quote for one of the characters in my book, Mrs. Marah O’Problem, hits me.
It seems that when we stop chasing a thought, it turns around and chases us! Now, I’m torn between these nuggets of wisdom, each a potential golden egg of insight. Whether it’s warning against placing the divine in the backseat— because let’s face it, when God is riding shotgun, you never hit traffic, or cautioning about the perils of juggling too many worldly desires– (like chasing two rabbits and ending up with zilch—come on, even one rabbit is slippery enough! Each quote is a contender. But which one shall wear the crown of my character’s motto? Ah, the thrilling burden of choice! What’s yours?
Earthly vs the Eternal
- Placing anything before the Divine courts misfortune.
- When God is second, troubles are first.
- A shadow on faith is a herald of strife.
- Elevate naught above the Creator, lest chaos follow.
- Where God yields, turmoil takes root.
Neglecting the Spiritual
- Prioritizing worldly matters over the divine spells peril.
- Let not earthly desires eclipse the heavenly light, lest darkness ensue.
- To rank anything above the Almighty is to invite discord.
- When the divine is overshadowed, adversity is sure to bloom.
- Place not the temporal before the eternal, lest disorder prevail.
Poetic Alerts Against Dual Allegiances
- Chase God and gold; you’ll end in the cold.
- God or the ground, pick one or both will be lost.
- Heaven and earth don’t share a seat—choose one or stand defeated.
- Split your heart ‘twixt sacred and soil, and you’ll harvest only turmoil.
- Try to serve two masters; you’ll sing none of their songs.
One Path, Not Two
- You cannot pursue God and worldly gain; one will inevitably slip through your grasp.
- Serving God and material desires alike is like chasing two rabbits and catching neither.
- To attempt devotion to both the divine and the mundane ensures mastery of neither.
- Splitting allegiance between God and worldly matters ensures the capture of neither.
- Trying to hold onto God and earthly pleasures is like chasing two rabbits only to end up empty-handed.
If you love quotes, here is a book for you Tones of Transition