Two Masters

TITLE: Two Masters
DATE: March 1, 2019
TEXT:  Matthew 4: 8-11 – ESV -   Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,  “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
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You probably can’t have it both ways.

That. I am afraid, is the lesson which will be learned by Shamima Begum.

When she was 15-years-old, Shamima left her home in London, went to Syria; ten days later got married to a Dutch convert to Islam, joined up with Isis and had two children, a boy and a girl, both of whom have died in recent months.

Her husband surrendered some time ago and she has not seen him since.

When the Times of London came across Shamima, she was in a refugee camp in eastern Syria. She was over 8-months pregnant and was certain she wanted to go home and live a quiet life with her child.  

Unfortunately for Shamima, there are those back in Britain who aren’t quite ready to hang out the WELCOME mat. They point out

1. She turned her back on her home country and expressed loyalty to Isis, an enemy of Great Britain.
2. She has shown little or no remorse for her past decisions. Indeed Shamima has said she has no regrets about her time with Isis.
3. Shamima has said her life with Isis was “normal.” In an interview she added, “When I saw my first severed head in a bin it didn't faze me at all. It was from a captured fighter seized on the battlefield, an enemy of Islam."

When all is said and done, many of the folks back in her homeland wonder if Shamima is trying to serve two masters. They feel unsure about whether, if Shamima perceived a next door neighbor was an enemy of Islam, his head might not end up in a basket, too.

Most of all they wonder if Shamima’s heart longs for the law and order and the peace which Christianity brings, but her mind is still held captive by Isis.

In His last temptation, when Satan tried to get Jesus to split His loyalties between doing His Father’s work, and enjoying what Satan had to offer, the Redeemer was clear: “We should offer our worship to the Lord alone, and our lives ought to be dedicated to serving Him and Him alone.

Which is not the way many folks like to do things. While claiming to be Christian, they still want to keep their pet sins; they still want to worship the Lord on their terms and they refuse to let Him be the first and sole authority in their lives.

Because it appears Shamima is trying to serve two masters it is unsure if she will be allowed to go home. And, according to the Redeemer a similar result comes to those who refuse to follow the Lord alone

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that my loyalties be given exclusively to the Redeemer Who gave His life for my salvation. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

Today’s devotion was inspired by various articles, amongst which is the one written by Robb Quinn on February 14, 2019 for Newser .  Those who wish may check out this link which was, at the time of writing, fully active: http://www.newser.com/story/271291/isis-schoolgirl-now-wants-to-return-to-uk.html
The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann, one of my long-ago confirmands. He is singing with three brothers. This song comes from the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html