Verse: Matthew 6:19-24
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 eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 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! 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.
Devotion
Everything has cost in this world. Tangible things like clothes, homes, cars, they all come with a cost. Even intangible things come with a cost. Love comes with a cost. To show love to those around us, it usually requires us to sacrifice something. It could be a sacrifice of time, energy, or even as simple as letting another driver go first at a stop sign. As humans prone to selfishness, it isn’t really a natural tendency to give up our own wants for others. We do a lot of thinking about what things cost us, whether it’s for something tangible like a new car or the cost of intentional parenting, listening to a friend, or sticking in a marriage that isn’t going as expected. We spend a lot of time thinking about the costs to us, but that isn’t what these verses talk about at all. Each section refers to the total opposite of what we spend most of our time thinking about.
In the midst of our thinking about what everything costs us, have we ever considered what it cost God for Jesus to enter the world, live on earth for 33 years, and then die an excruciating death? It makes you think twice about what it cost God to save us from our sins. And if it cost God all that it did, being separated from His son for 33 years and watching his perfect son give His life up, should we be surprised that often it costs us to live the lives He calls us to? It costs us to share our earthly treasure rather than store it up for retirement. It costs us to be the light of the world rather than hide away in darkness doing whatever we want. It costs us to make God our priority every day, rather than our bank account. As you read these verses today, challenge yourself to see the costs in your life in a different light. See them as a response of gratitude for the ultimate cost that God paid for you.
Author: Kristen Perso
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