Daily Devotional For Monday, October 28, 2024
Merry Monday. I pray that your weekend was a great one with the Lord. We are making our way through Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, & 7. Currently we are looking at Matthew 6:19-24:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; (21) for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (22) “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, 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 that is 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 one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (NASB).
Yesterday I introduced this section of Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount to us. So, let’s start breaking it down verse by verse. We have something ironic right at the beginning. The words translated as “store up” are the Greek New Testament word [θησαυρίζω, thesaurizo] and the Greek New Testament word translated as “treasures” is [θησαυρός, thesaurus]. Both words are very similar. Both words come from a Greek root word from which we get our English word thesaurus, a treasury of words. A literal translation would be: “Do not treasure up treasures for yourselves . . .”
The Greek also carries the idea of stacking or laying out horizontally, as one stacks coins. In the context of this passage the idea is that of stockpiling or hoarding, and therefore pictures wealth that is not being used. The money or other wealth is simply stored for safekeeping; it is kept for the keeping’s sake to make a show of wealth or to create an environment of lazy overindulgence. We see the same idea in Luke 12:16-21:
“And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. (17) And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ (18) Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ (20) But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ (21) So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (NASB).
Contrary to what some people see here as Jesus saying we should pursue poverty as a means to spirituality, that is not the case here. God made many people very rich and wealthy in Scripture. Jesus never demanded His disciples to give up all wealth to follow Him, even some did. What Jesus did and does require from us the willingness to obey His commands no matter the cost to us personally. To those who have wealth, God commands those disciples to be generous with their wealth. Some people misinterpret 1 Timothy 6:17, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (NASB). Nowhere in this passage does God require His disciples to divest all their wealth, riches, resources etc to follow Him. Instead, they are warned not to be conceited about it nor to trust in it.
God blesses hard work and following good ethical business practices. Look at:
- Matthew 25:27, “Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest” (NASB).
- Proverbs 6:6-8, “Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, (7) Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, (8) Prepares her food in the summer, And gathers her provision in the harvest” (NASB).
- Proverbs 14:23, “In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty” (NASB).
- Proverbs 24:3-4, “By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; (4) And by knowledge the rooms are filled, With all precious and pleasant riches” (NASB).
- 2 Corinthians 12:14b, “. . . for children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children” (NASB).
- 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either” (NASB).
- 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (NASB).
Notice again in our passage today that Jesus His warning not to treasure treasures for yourselves. Why? When we accumulate possessions simply for our own sakes—whether to hoard or to spend selfishly and extravagantly—those possessions become idols. Also, if we use our wealth and material possessions for the kingdom of God, that is properly storing up treasures in heaven. Jesus warns us about “rust moths, and thieves.” In Jesus’ day, wealth was most seen in clothing. Pastor and author John MacArthur sheds this light on this passage here:
“Rich people sometimes had golden threads woven into their clothing, both to display and to store their wealth. But the best clothes were made of wool, which the moth loves to eat; and even the richest persons had difficulty protecting their clothes from the insects. Wealth was also often held in grain, as we see from the parable of the rich farmer who said, “I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods” (Luke 12:18).
Brōsis (rust) literally means “an eating,” and is translated with that meaning everywhere in the New Testament but here (see Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 8:4, “eating”; 2 Cor. 9:10, “food”; and Heb. 12:16, “meal”). It seems best to take the same meaning here, in reference to grain that is eaten by rats, mice, worms, and insects.
Almost any kind of wealth, of course, is subject to thieves, which is why many people buried their nonperishable valuables in the ground away from the house, often in a field (see Matt. 13:44). Break in is literally “dig through,” and could refer to digging through the mud walls of a house or digging up the dirt in a field. Nothing we own is completely safe from destruction or theft. And even if we keep our possessions perfectly secure during our entire lives, we are certainly separated from them at death. Many millionaires will be heavenly paupers, and many paupers will be heavenly millionaires. But when our time, energy, and possessions are used to serve others and to further the Lord’s work, they build up heavenly resources that are completely free from destruction or theft. There neither moth nor rust destroys, and... thieves do not break in or steal. Heavenly security is the only absolute security” (Source: John MacArthur, MacArthur’s New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 411).
Questions To Consider
- Any disciple of Jesus or a church that stockpiles its money or resources away and does not use them for the glory of God and building His kingdom, sees money as an idol. Do you stockpile your money, wealth, retirement, resources, and material possessions just for you and you alone? Why or why not?
- Jesus said, “Do not treasure up treasures for yourselves . . .” Why does Jesus warn us about accumulating wealth, money, and resources?
- Sometimes our wealth, money, income, retirement, and resources can become an idol. Are you ever guilty of idolatry in this way? Why or why not? If so, what should you do now?
- Look over the list of 7 passages above with bullets beside them. How does these relate to your own life and why?
- In Matthew 2:11, “treasure” is the same word used to refer to the gifts the magi brought Jesus: Gold, frankincense and myrrh. What does this tell you and why?
Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Chronicles 29:12-13, “Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. (13) Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I accept what You say in Your word that the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Ps. 24:1). I do not want to be guilty of being a hoarder or accumulating wealth, money and resources for myself. I do not want to be guilty of idolatry. I do not want to take my “one talent” and bury it. Please, God, help me and use me to take what You have given me to build Your kingdom for the glory of Jesus Christ. I love Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly