Verse: Matthew 6:19-21
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 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.
Devotion:
These are verses that are commonly recited when talking about money/possessions, but let’s dig into them a little more and get to the heart of the verses. It starts with stating not to lay up treasures for yourself on earth. Matthew is making the point that all earthly treasures are temporary and will quickly fade away. Our treasures on earth can be quickly tarnished, destroyed or taken. Matthew makes this point by bringing up moths, rust, and thieves. It’s ok for us to have earthly possessions, don’t read into this wrong. The Lord loves for us to experience joy in this world. Some possessions can provide happiness, however, the problem occurs when we lose sight of the giver of joy, the provider of all that we have. Ultimately, in light of the kingdom of God, our possessions have no value. Spending your life chasing earthly treasures, whether that be money, comforts, or luxuries, it is chasing a fleeting, empty, and superficial treasure. It will lead to chasing more, more, and more. It will never be satisfying, it will never feel like enough. This is will not lead us to our true purpose in this world, and it will not bring us lasting peace, love, and joy.
However, these earthly treasures are directly contrasted to treasures in heaven. These treasures are secure and lasting. The treasure of getting to know the Lord more and more each day will last. The treasure of finding your comfort in Jesus will last. The treasure of keeping a kingdom perspective will last. The treasure of relying on your faith to weather storms will last. I could go on and on. These treasures are the ones that matter, that will bring joy and contentment. These will be worth it in the end, when we see our Savior’s face and know that we have run our race with faith and endurance. Don’t you want to be able to quote Paul at the end of your life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”? (2 Timothy 4:7)
I sure know that I do. In todays world, it’s so easy to find our security in money and tangible items. Over the last two years, my husband and I have had to confront this straight on. We went from a safe, comfortable two income household to a one income household overnight. We had no time to prepare, and it was going to be a long term change. I wish I could say we had total faith in God and didn’t let it keep us up at night because our treasures are in heaven. I wish I could say we immediately realized that we placed too much value on fleeting, meaningless paper. However, that’s just not true. It felt like our world was spiraling out of control and we didn’t know how we would make ends meet for many, many months. In the process, we realized it felt like a crazy scary trust fall where we had no choice but to trust God. Our earthly treasure of the security found in a stable income was removed. We had no choice but to put our faith into action, to talk to God and trust Him to meet our needs. And you know what? By the literal goodness and grace of God, in the two years since this change, we’ve never once not been able to pay a bill. Somehow, through crazy avenues, our loving, abundantly gracious Father has always made sure that our needs are met. There is no treasure like seeing our Savior show up, meet us where we are at, grow our faith, and fulfill our needs. It might not always look the way we imagine or even want it to, but we can always trust that He sees the big picture that we cannot. He knows which treasures will fill our hearts, if we just get out of the way and let Him lead us.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to see with clarity today. Thank you for this reminder. Show me where I’m cherishing earthly treasures more than you. Show me where my focus is being pulled away and how I can shift my eyes back to you. You are the only true, lasting, and fulfilling treasure of value. Show me how to leave the treasures of this world behind and to cling to you more closely. We love you Lord. Thank You for Your goodness and kindness. Amen
Author: Becca Artymenko
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