Kay Arthur - Lord, Im Torn Between Two Masters: A Devotional Study on Genuine Faith from the Sermon on the Mount

Lord, Heal My Hurts
Lord, I Want to Know You
Lord, Is It Warfare? Teach Me to Stand
Lord, Where Are You When Bad Things Happen?
Lord, Only You Can Change Me
Lord, I Need Grace to Make It Today
Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days
God, Are You There? Do You Care? Do You Know About Me?
How to Study Your Bible Precept upon Precept
The International Inductive Study Series
Beloved: From Gods Heart to Yours
His Imprint, My Expression
To Know Him by Name
As Silver Refined
Our Covenant God
Search My Heart, O God
A Sanctuary for Your Soul
My Savior, My Friend
A Moment with God
With an Everlasting Love
Marriage Without Regrets
Discover 4 Yourself Inductive Bible Studies for Kids

L ORD , I M T ORN B ETWEEN T WO M ASTERS
P UBLISHED BY W ATERBROOK P RESS
2375 Telstar Drive, Suite 160
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920
A division of Random House, Inc.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible. ( NASB). Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked ( KJV ) are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Portions of this study were previously included in the book Lord, How Can I Ever Be Righteous?

eISBN: 978-0-307-56891-5

Copyright 1996, 2000 by Kay Arthur

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

W ATER B ROOK and its deer design logo are registered trademarks of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Arthur, Kay, 1933

Lord, Im torn between two masters : a devotional study on genuine faith from the Sermon on the mount / Kay Arthur.1st WaterBrook Press ed.

p. cm.

1. Sermon on the mountTextbooks. 2. Christian lifeBiblical teaching. I. Title.

BT380.3 A78 2001
226.90071dc21

00-068628

v3.1

I ve often knelt and prayed with others on the Mount of Beatitudes, gazing with tear-filled eyes at the brilliance of the Sea of Galilee shimmering in the wind and reflecting the noonday sun as it cast its diamonds on the surface of the waters. My prayer was for a faithfulnessa manifestation of Gods righteousness, a faith that would set me apart from mere religion, the externals of worship. A faith that would not compromise in the quest for acceptance, nor flinch in the face of adversity, nor weaken in the desire for earthly treasures rather than eternal ones. A faith that would not be anxious or judgmental, but one that would bear fruitfruit that would testify of the goodness of Vine-Keeper. A faith built on a rock rather than sand, and that would hold firm in the time of a storms testing. A faith that would be true to my only Master and Lord.

And that, Beloved, is what I want for you as well as for me. How I would love to have you there with me on that windswept mountlistening to the sermon delivered by our Lord and captured in Gods Word. Maybe someday that will happen; perhaps you will tour Israel someday with Precept Ministries International. But until then I can still take you on a devotional study of our Lords piercing sermon delivered to those who were following Him.

This is a study that will beckon you up that hillside daily. Yet within a few days, or maybe weeks, you may weary of the climb. You may want to throw this book down and say, Its impossible. Thats the way it is sometimes, when books get under our skin and prod us in ways we dont want to be prodded. We feel like tossing them rather than dealing with the issues they present.

But if you stick with me, my friend, and diligently seek the Lord through this study, I will make a pledge to you.

I believe with all my heart that you will find the grip of this old world of ourswith all its treasures, promises, problems, and painsbegin to lessen its hold on you. As you dig into our Lords Sermon on the Mount and cry out to His Holy Spirit for illumination, you will find a new freedom to entwine your thoughts, hopes, dreams, and desires around heavenly things. Eternal things. Values of genuine faith.

You will find yourself choosing to serve the King of kings with all your heart, mind, soul, body and strength. And, oh, how you are needed at His side! Your life will become an encouragement, a provocation, and a living example to others struggling with the grip of this world. In you they will see what it means to be a true bondservant of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If youve done much hiking, you know that some trails start out level and gradually get steeper. Others start right off with an uphill climb! The first few weeks of this study are like that second trail. The climb is a little steep at times but wait until you get to that lookout point where you can see the view! You will gain the context and perspective for the life-changing chapters that follow. And just as in my companion study, Lord, Only You Can Change Me, life change is what this book is all about.

As this study progresses, the lessons get gutsy and practicalthey hit us where we live! But thats good. Because the more you learn, listen, and obey, the more you will find yourself freedstrand by strandfrom that which ties you to this world and keeps you from being holy as He is holy.

How glorious that freedom is! What an inner sense of well-being it produces. And what a confidence will be yours in your relationship with your heavenly Father.

You need not be torn between two masters, Beloved. You can choose the narrow path that climbs toward glory. You can choose to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Then, when the kingdom of heaven finally comes to earth, you will see that it was worth every sacrifice. No matter what the cost, no matter what the price, it was worth it all! For He has told us, Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done (Revelation 22:12).

If theres a possibility of your using this as a group study in which you would be a facilitator, then read Guidelines for Group Use in the Study Resources section at the back of this book, where youll find other valuable tools to enhance this study.

For many, the blessing of this study has been enhanced by the companion video and audio teaching tapes. For more information on these, simply call Precept Ministries International at our toll-free number (18007638280) and let one of our staff members help you. It would be their pleasure. We also provide training if you would like to develop your skills in handling the Word of God more accurately or in leading others in group studies designed to minister to people of all ages at any level of commitment while respecting the restraints on their time. Were known as The Inductive Study People: everybody, everywhere, any time, any place, any language, any age. One message: the Bible. One method: inductive. Please dont hesitate to call us.