Matthew 6:19-24
“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 man 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.”
Have you ever been the victim of theft? Have you ever had someone break into your house? Or your locker? Or maybe pick-pocketed you? It leaves you with a terrible feeling of being violated. You feel helpless and alone. Have you ever lost something because it was left out in the rain? Or because it got moldy? Or because animals tore it up? Again, it’s an unpleasant feeling and makes you angry because the item is gone.
Jesus talks about treasures or valuables in Matthew. He says, don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can be taken away or rot. We store up earthly treasures when we spend all our money on what this world has to offer – pleasure, power, and prestige – while at the same time neglecting investing in what has eternal value. It is also true that we will dump all our money and time into what we love most. If we desire to make heaven and eternity a priority in our lives, we will do well to invest our resources into it now.
Jesus goes on to compare our eyes to a lamp. We don’t use lamps too often today, so think of it as turning on your lights at night in a dark room. Flip the switch and the area is flooded with illumination. Everything becomes visible, clear, and colorful. The contrast is leaving the lights off and stumbling around in the darkness, stepping on things, and not finding our way.
What we look at with our eyes greatly influences our thoughts, feelings, moods, and choices. A glance, a look, a peek, becomes so powerful when we realize the implications of those sights. They seem insignificant, but possess great influence. It is such a small action, but it leads our lives into a joyous, uplifting light or down into a great, depressing darkness. It can’t be underestimated.
Finally, Jesus sums his thoughts up with saying you have two choices: Serve God or serve money. They are mutually exclusive. They can’t both exist at the same time. If you chose to serve God, your possessions, including your money is all Gods. You are a steward of them, working for Him. You live your life listening to God, reading His Bible, and doing what He leads you to do.