- 2017 Dev. Mt. 6: 24. Treasures in Heaven! Read vs. 19-24 of Mt. 6. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Matthew 6: 24
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.
Jesus here is addressing our goals and motivation: is it goods – material things, money, degrees, spouses, praise and status or is it a relationship with God that we want? There is a fine line between wanting and coveting.
What Jesus is saying is that earthly treasure is tentative, not only is it subject to corrosion, and loss by theft, it does not last, we can’t take it with us when God calls us to himself. What then is treasure in heaven? Scripture is very clear: “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33). Jesus wants us to concentrate on the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. He is telling us that “all these things will be given to you”; all that we need for a happy and productive life. Following Jesus and being like him not only provides what we need in this life, generally speaking, but everything we will need in heaven.
These verses beg the question of treasure; it is not gold or silver or possessions but righteousness, God’s righteousness. This is a high bar for followers of Jesus to attain but we are not on our own. By the power of the Holy Spirit we can know and practice righteousness.
Jesus not only addresses treasure but also coveting, the down side of wanting possessions. “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!”
To covet what God has not given us is a darkness that shuts out the light of Jesus in our lives and shuts off what light we may give to others. In verse 24 Jesus puts possessions and our desire for stuff into perspective: “you cannot serve God and money”; possessions, we live in a capitalistic society, how do we address this problem in our lives? How? “Seek God’s Kingdom first”!
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