A co-worker and I were discussing some of the issues he was having with his only child. He had come to me, not asking for advice but asking what I had done in certain situations. In the course of our conversation, he brought up the fact that he and his wife had thought to begin attending church when his child was very young but were turned off when (whether by his perception or by fact) all they ever heard were appeals for donations and giving. And I understood what he was saying.
In the next segment we are going to look at in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, we are going talk about treasure.
Matthew 6:19-34 (New International Version)
Treasures in Heaven
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,[a] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[b] 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.
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[c]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 6:22 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
b. Matthew 6:23 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.
c. Matthew 6:27 Or single cubit to your height
As some of you know, I work in the financial services industry. For the last 34 years, I have been involved in the administration of a defined benefit pension plan. I also have assisted in the administration of a defined contribution plan. Those are fancy names for the pension plan and the 401k plan our company offers to its employees. Our task is to help people lay up “treasure” for their retirement years. And I admit that as I near the end of my working career, I spend more time looking at the “numbers” than I did in the past. I have seen many success stories and also witnessed some gigantic failures. So I understand the need to plan – and I support it … but -
What Christ is warning us about is becoming too focused on the future and forgetting the task He set before us. The treasure of earth is vulnerable to attack – as many of you who are going through the current economic crisis can attest. But the treasure of heaven is eternal and safe. So what is treasured in heaven? Well, as many of my readers might remember, what God really treasures is you. And what we should treasure is each other – even when it is difficult to do so.
I think the whole segment is wrapped up in verse 33 – seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Our focus should not be on how much we can accumulate in earthly gain but how fervent our seeking Him can be. In Ray Price’s song “Until Then” there is a lyric line that goes “The things of earth will dim and lose their pleasure; if we recall they are borrowed for a while; and things of earth that cause the heart to tremble, remembered there will only bring a smile.”
The treasures of God are eternal. They are Abraham; Issac, Jacob and all their descendants. They are Fannie Crosby and all who have sung her songs from their heart. They are Billy Graham and the thousands who received the message of Christ through his preaching. The list of God’s treasure is too many to mention. They are you … and they are me – prized more than the finest gold and purest silver in the eyes of God. You are special and God loves you. So don’t worry – set your eyes upon Him – seek after His kingdom and after His righteousness – and all these things will be added to you.
God bless you.
Agape’
Mr. Jim
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