You Cannot Serve God and Riches

^24 (A)“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. ^(B)You cannot serve God and ^[a]mammon.

The Parable of the Talents^(A)

^14 (B)“For the kingdom of heaven is ^(C)like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.

^16 (A)You will know them by their fruits. ^(B)Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, ^(C)every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ^19 (D)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

^17 (A)If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.

^8 (A)By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; ^(B)so you will be My disciples.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven^(A)

^19 (B)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ^20 (C)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

¹⁵ And He said to them, ^(A)“Take heed and beware of ^[a]covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

¹⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, ^(B)“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; ^(C)eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night ^(D)your soul will be required of you; ^(E)then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, ^(F)and is not rich toward God.”

³¹ “In that day, he ^(A)who is on the housetop, and his ^[a]goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. ^32 (B)Remember Lot’s wife. ^33 (C)Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. ^34 (D)I tell you, in that night there will be two ^[b]men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. ^35 (E)Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. ^36 [c]Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”

³⁷ And they answered and said to Him, ^(F)“Where, Lord?”

So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

⁶ Then ^(A)the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there ^(B)one thousand two hundred and sixty days.