Matthew 6:19-24
In today’s excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenges His listeners to think about what kind of treasure they are storing up for themselves. He gives them two possibilities. The first is the treasure of this world, which consists of such things as big houses and cars, designer clothing, money, jewellery or precious metals. Those are the things that most people desire and spend their lives chasing after but, as Jesus points out, such things can be stolen from us and, if we manage to keep them, they will inevitably decay and lose their value over time. Such things will never satisfy. As the writer of Ecclesiastes testified as he surveyed his earthly riches:
Ecclesiastes 2:11 (NLT) “But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless – like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.”
The alternative is to lay up treasures in heaven, which are the eternal, spiritual rewards that God gives to those who faithfully serve Him by giving their time, money and talents for the work of His kingdom. The rewards God gives are indestructible and secure forever.
We need to stop and ask ourselves: Where is my treasure? On what do I put most value? Is the desire of my heart to please the Lord and bring people to know Him? Or am I more focused on making myself comfortable in this world? God and mammon are competing for first place in our hearts and Jesus makes it clear that we cannot serve both. If we make the acquisition of money our goal our spiritual perception becomes dim, we become focused on the natural world and we lose sight of the things that truly matter.
Jesus spoke a great deal about money because He knew that it had the potential to master us. In His parable of the sower He spoke of “the deceitfulness of riches” (Matthew 13:22, NKJV) or “the lure of wealth” (NLT), which chokes the seed of God’s word. To a rich young ruler Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me”. Sadly, that young man went away sorrowful because he had many possessions and Jesus commented, “it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:21).
As Paul warned Timothy, the love of money is a trap that can lure believers away from God and His kingdom.
1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT) “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”
If we want to make our lives count we need to guard our hearts against the deception of mammon and keep our hearts fixed on the Lord and the work of His kingdom. We will never regret it!
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Please forgive me for the times when I have allowed my heart to be drawn towards the treasures of this world and have devoted my time, my energy and my talents to the pursuit of financial gain. I know that the rewards You are preparing for me are far better than anything this world provides. I ask You to stir up my passion for You, that I might give You first place in my life and invest my abilities and resources into the work of Your kingdom each day.
Amen.
Copyright © 2026 Jill Partis. All rights reserved.
All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV), unless otherwise indicated.
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