“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. Matthew 6:19-24
Material wealth was often seen in Israel as a sign of God’s blessing and a reward for obedience. But with wealth comes the danger of having a false sense of security or an erroneous assessment of spiritual standing before God. The heart represents the core of a person’s being, the real inner person. What a person values is driven by the nature of a person’s heart. The material possessions that some people value are subject to the destructive effects of this world. But those who are truly righteous value the greatest treasure in heaven: God himself. Those who set their hearts on God set a healthy trajectory for discipleship.
The eye is the conduit to the heart. When the eye focuses on something of value, it becomes the conduit that fills the heart with what is being focused on. If the eye is fixed on what is good, the heart is filled with the light of God’s treasure. But if the eye covets earthly treasure, then the heart is filled with darkness.
Wealth is a rival God. Satan uses greed and covetousness to ensnare people in idolatry, so Jesus calls his disciples to make a choice: either love, serve and devote themselves completely to God or be mastered by Satan.
Today’s Bible Readings:
1 Samuel 10-11, John 6:43-71, Psalm 107:1-43 and Proverbs 15:1-3