“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 6:19-34 NLT
Worry and materialism are two of the most dangerous problems in the world today. Having more than we need is usually seen as a sign of success, yet the more we have, the more we have to worry about; our possessions possess us. These verses are powerful and counter cultural. If we would live them out, our lives would be very different. He taught us to store up treasure in heaven not stuff on earth. We can do this by giving to Kingdom causes, helping those in need, and making the world better. “Where your treasure is, there your heart is.” Our heart follows where we spend our money—it matters! We cannot serve God and stuff.
Jesus also taught about worry, which relates to possessions and money. Life is more than our possessions; we are made to love God, love others, and make a difference. We can trust God to provide for what we really need because we are valuable to our Father. We should be focused on our Father and seeking His Kingdom first. Worry can’t add time to life (it robs us of life and joy). Hear the voice of Jesus inviting you to let go of worry. He is with you and will never let you go.
Jesus invites us into the Kingdom, a world of abundance. We can live without fear because we know that God will always take care of us. We can be generous and wise because we know God is with us. Stop taking more than you need and unleash generosity in your life.
What can you give away? What can you sell and give to those in need? How can you let go of worry
