Reading the Word

Matthew 6:19–24 (ESV)

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.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Billy Graham is quoted as saying, “Give me five minutes with a person’s checkbook and I will tell you where their heart is.” Where we spend our money and invest our resources (including time), reveals what is truly important to us. In our reading for today, Jesus tells us that we need to invest for the future. We need to value what matters for eternity over what is simply temporary and unfulfilling.

Jesus’ statement regarding the eye as the lamp of the body simply means that how we see the world, our worldview, impacts how we live in it. We need to see the world as God sees it so we can properly live. Ultimately, we must live in such a way that God is our most prized possession, over money and possessions.

I love the old hymn Give Me Jesus that Fernando Ortega recently made popular. It is a reminder of what is truly important in life: