Matthew 6:19-24
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.
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
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.
Where do you keep your treasure? By the way, that’s a different question than asking, “What is your treasure?” If you keep your treasure in the bank or in the stock market or hidden in a lockbox under your bed, then I could probably guess what kind of treasure you have. I could also tell you, along with Jesus, the many ways your treasure could be lost or taken away from you. Money may make the world go round, but it can never leave this world. On the other hand, if you keep your treasure in heaven, then you have something to look forward to that will last forever and ever.
The truth is, Jesus had a complicated relationship with money, and so do we. Jesus understood the need to use money to buy food and to care for people in need. His ministry received support from wealthy donors. He urged his followers to pay taxes and to give to worthy causes. At the same time, Jesus knew that money can become a master over us, enslaving us with greed, envy, worry and faithless self-reliance. In the end, we can’t serve God effectively and faithfully while our hearts long after wealth.
So much in this world is judged on a financial scale. Our worth is too often measured by what we are worth. But that’s not how God looks at you. He doesn’t love you because of what you have or what you own or what you owe. He loves you according to his grace poured out through Jesus Christ. That’s why we need to set our hearts on the treasure of heaven, to long after what only God can give us and what the world can never take away. Through faith, you belong to Jesus, and by God’s grace you always and forever will. That’s your real treasure, and it’s worth more than all the wealth of this world.
Gracious Father, You are the treasure my heart longs for. Forgive me for allowing money and things to master me. Help me to honor You with how I use the resources You allow me to have in this life and to remember that what waits for me in heaven will be so much better. I ask this through Jesus, my true Master. Amen.
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Pastor Mike Mirakian
