The Impossibility of Two Masters
6/5/13
There are many examples within our history that show us that serving two masters does not pay. This is not only a theme that is found in the Bible but we can read about it in almost every area of history, and since the Bible talks about humans both situations apply here. Humans do not like to have conflict for it puts us on the defensive and forces us to keep watch over our lives on a constant basis; however, in reality there are no options but to stay alert since attacks from our enemy come without warning sometimes. How do we combat these issues? The answer is food.
Many of you know that I am a huge football fanatic. I have watched the sport since I was a young kid, played the sport and helped coach a few boys down through the years as well. I knew that I would never make it in the NFL or even college teams but that still did not deter me from doing my best to learn as much about the sport as possible. My parents have many stories about my pee wee football days that are embarrassing to me but which parent doesn’t, but I still count it all joy since I was able to have the opportunity to play the game. During this influential time in my life I learned many things about being on a team, playing as a team and trying your best to figure out what the opponent is going to do next.
When I was in the elementary school grades in my life, I mainly watched professional games and after a while I could name many of the star players from those teams. I eventually developed favorite teams in which I followed more carefully and closely. I also remember stating who these teams were which entitled me to some of their marketing clothes at Christmas. I was so thrilled to receive these articles of clothing and I wore them proudly to many venues. I never attended any professional football games and at that time never really had a desire to do so, but even with this lack my desire continued for the game and my devotion to certain teams grew stronger.
After time my favorite teams became more of a central model for me in which when I was involved in pickup games with my friends I would automatically place myself onto one of my favorite players from that specific team. Even though I dreamt about being these players I knew that there would be no way that I could entertain the reality of playing on the same field as they, but it was fun to dream and to play the game in this manner in my mind. I also watched my favorite players on TV as well and enjoyed it when they won and was disappointed when their teams lost. This was all part of being an American kid who had earthly idols when those idols were good role models to have.
As my adolescence gave way to my teenage years I discovered high school and college football. I saw these new areas of football as new opportunities for me to pursue the chance to watch more of them and to learn the foundations of the game deeper. I played football for a while during this time of my life as well, but knew that was about the extent of my career. My love for the college and professional game grew as well during this time and as with the professional side I chose a few teams that I considered to be my favorites.
Florida and Florida State became the two teams that I followed the most and at this time both schools were not the so called power houses that they are known for today. In fact, not many televised college games were offered on TV when I was younger and it was not until my high school and college years that I was able to watch any college games with regularity. At this time Florida and Florida State did not play each other on a continual basis which did not present any problems within my favorites list.
But there came a time that these two teams began to play each other on a regular basis. And naturally my friends and family would ask me who I was going to pull for especially since it was not considered even possible to like both schools in the first place. It was a tough decision for a while but in the long run Florida State won out and even to this day, while I still like both teams, I will always pull for the Seminoles for each contest.
So in short I guess you could say that my favorite team in college is Florida State yet I still pull for other teams as well. This actually divides me in a few ways but in the end I know that it is a game and even though I might route for one team, I will always have the opportunity to like others. This concept is ok for sports but it can prove deadly if it is followed in life and we should always keep in our forethoughts of this fact.
There is an old Native American proverb that covers this concept as well and it is a good one to keep in mind. While it is not Biblical in portion it does represent the way the two kingdoms operate within our lives and how each influences us on a daily basis. There are many different versions or ways of saying this proverb but this is the version that I read.
There was a young boy who came up to his grandfather who was sitting on a hill and just looking at the scenery around him. The young boy was approaching the age of manhood and had been given certain tasks to complete in order prove himself worthy of the beginning the process of becoming a man. The young boy asked his grandfather about some moral issues about good versus evil and how does one who which will control his life. The grandfather had a simple explanation for the young boy after one single question was asked of him.
When the young boy completed his question the grandfather turned his head and looked at the boy and asked him if he understood the difference between what was right and wrong and the young boy replied “yes, he did.” The grandfather then proceeded to tell the young boy about two wolves and how one wolf had a good spirit and the other wolf had a bad spirit and that both of these wolves lived within a person. The wolves represented the beliefs of that brave and that he struggled with these wolves on a continual basis.
The grandfather continued his explanation to his grandson by telling him that the brave had the choice of feeding each wolf and that which ever wolf the brave decided to feed would become stronger and eventually rule his thoughts and beliefs. The grandfather also stated that a brave could not make this decision unless that brave understood what is right and what is wrong and the difference between them.
My example of choosing which football teams to route for serves as foundation of how people have choices to make during their lifetimes. The example of the grandfather explaining what goes on within a person is a wonderful example of what each of us as humans must complete each day, and the importance of those choices and decisions. Both of these examples are based upon a personal level and will affect that individual accordingly.
Interestingly though the Biblical examples that we have place these decisions and choices on a much greater scale and since we as humans like to look at the overall picture or the exciting portions of that picture it is difficult for me to understand why more people do not refer to these examples to use while living within societies. The Biblical examples of choices that we have deal with two kingdoms; one good and one bad. When a person reads these examples it will be clear to them that these two kingdoms cannot get along with each other and that there is a large gulf between them that can never be closed.
Many people leave out the entire concept of this principle or they use it for just a specific reason to get their point across. While this type of usage is warranted, we must consider all sides of this area. In all honesty this subject is about true loyalty and commitment. If a person swears allegiance to one company then that person must stay loyal to that company until they decide to leave the company. If an employee talks bad about the company that they work for eventually the word will get back to their employers and things could get ugly.
The same applies for this concept in Kingdom terms. When you have two forces that battle each other there can be no compromise on either side. Being a spy in this setting is an impossible dream and actually cannot be achieved since the spirit is involved. Spirit understands other spirits and knows what is occurring on this level even if we believe that everything is going well in our lives. Even when we sit around and do not rock the boat per say, we are choosing a side and while we believe that we are not harming our cause we are in fact allowing our enemy to chip away at our defenses to which he will use against us when he has completed his mission.
The Biblical example also places the choices in our lives on the directional plane of each kingdom. It also places our lives in these categories no matter if we agree that these kingdoms exist or not, which means that no matter if we believe in them or not, each kingdom will be advanced or driven back with each of our choices. It also combines our individual choices and societal choices together in the advancement and driving back of each kingdom depending upon which choice we make. This is the part of the equation that our enemy uses against our physical ways of thinking in order to place doubt in our minds that this process actually occurs with each decision that can be referred to in kingdom terms. This example also places the importance of each life to the world and undermines the world’s agenda which is against life itself. In other words, the wishes of a mixture of the two kingdoms that is trying to be presented is a direct lie from our enemy himself and we should not feed this idea on any level.
It is essential that we think about this concept and begin to accept its worth and value within our lives. This concept of total kingdom separation is not a lie nor is it a fabricated belief that forces one to go against life itself. It is one that provides not only an individual with every opportunity in life but it also can guide a society through the tough times, along with the good times, in a truthful manner that will be a shining beacon for all other nations. The Biblical examples are of past societies that have either chosen to accept these policies or reject these policies the choice was there then as it is today. The choices that those societies made were reflective on their continual blessings or the main reason that their world as they knew it was taken from them in various ways by their enemies.
The Biblical examples of kingdom define only two kingdoms each represented by their ruler and each knowing function of the other as well. The example of the wolf explains the concept of feeding and what that food means to the kingdom that we “sport” in our lives. Each kingdom has its goals and each kingdom displays its notions through our lives. Be objective and seriously look at the events that are occurring within our nations today, then compare them with the events throughout history, include the Bible if you wish but which ever way you choose to pursue take a very close and studied look at them and one will know that the forces of good and evil are all around us and in us and that whatever man feeds, it is that force which will rule the nations. More to follow concerning kingdom and what it means within our lives, so hang on it is going to get interesting.
DLB
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