Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
As I thought about our Verse of the Day, and its challenge for us to have a more eternal perspective on life, I think the wisdom and application we might gain from Jesus can be summed up in a word: TRUST. Jesus wants our faith in Him to be genuine … to be honest and sincere. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Cf. Hebrews 11:1) Therefore, when we are confident in His provision of all that we need to sustain us, this mindset expresses our trust in Him and not in ourselves or our abilities. Let’s look at the passage in the broader context of His “Sermon on the Mount”:
Matthew 6:19-34 (NIV) – (See also Luke 12:22-34)
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your (spiritual) eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your (spiritual) eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness (spiritual blindness), how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life (or a single cubit to your height)? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For unbelievers run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
The inspired writer of the Book of Hebrews encourages us as well to remember these promises of God to His people:
Hebrews 13:5-8 (NIV)
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Citing Deuteronomy 31:6) So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Citing Psalm 118:7) Remember your leaders, who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
When we worry or fret about things beyond our control … when we look at our temporal circumstances more than we look to our eternal Savior, it reflects something about the depth of our faith. I believe Jesus is teaching us that we need to hold onto Him more than we hold onto our abilities. We need to trust Him above all else, and our trust can be seen in where we place our attention. Sometimes our attitudes toward money can undermine our faith. Paul observed this issue of the human heart and wrote: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (Cf. 1 Timothy 6:10)
John understood the lessons that Jesus taught, and he likewise admonished us to place our complete trust in the One who created: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (Cf. 1 John 2:15-17) And James shared these sharp words with us: “You unfaithful people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (Cf. James 4:4)
My friends, as we walk forward in faith in 2023, I encourage all of us to do a heart check with regard to our attitudes about money. Jesus said, “Where your treasure IS, there your heart will be also.” And He illustrated His point using parables like: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (Cf. Matthew 13:44-46) What an awesome word pictures for us to consider! Paul encouraged Timothy to address this issue when he wrote: “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. (Cf. 1 Timothy 6:17-19)
Lord Jesus, I pray that you would give each of us wisdom and perspective on what to value most in our lives. Open our spiritual eyes to see that our attitudes about money truly reflect on our faith in you, and therefore, our love for you! Help us to understand that you are to be treasured above all else … that our lives are to serve you with ALL that you have given us. Remind us as you did our ancestors, to realize that it is You who gives us the ability to produce wealth … the power to be successful. (Cf. Deuteronomy 8:18) Yes, we are to be faithful with what you have entrusted to us. And I pray that we would honor you and trust you … and be faithful to you as you have been faithful to us. In your Glorious Name I pray! Amen.
So Now You Know…
Have a Blessed Day!
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” ~ Luke 16:10-13
So Now You Know 