THOUGHTS FROM MATTHEW
February 15
Text: Matthew 6:19-21
"Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal.
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break
in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also. (NASB)
“What
is the focus of my life?”
That seems to be the question these days.
How can a question be so simple, so important, and yet so
difficult at the same time?
You have got to eat, pay the bills, have a place to
sleep, have access to transportation, have a job, and try to
have some time for a little fun! Yet, is eating, paying the
bills, sleeping, getting places, having jobs, and having fun of
more importance, of equal importance, or of less importance than
spiritual concerns?
Is it a
matter of age—if you are young, focus on the material, but if
you are old, focus on the spiritual.
Is it a matter of health?
If you are healthy, focus on the material, but if you are
sick, focus on the spiritual.
Is it a matter of opportunity for material success?
If you have abundant material opportunity, focus on the
material, but if you have little opportunity for material
success, focus on the spiritual.
Yet, if everything is considered, it is just not that
simple! Like it or
not, your death must be in the equation.
Jesus
gave a simple but complex answer.
His answer is based on this basic understanding: Everyone
invests life in something.
His simple but complex answer: Invest your life in
something that is lasting.
If natural processes can destroy your investment, it is
not lasting. If your
investment can be stolen, it is not lasting.
Jesus said, “Have this basic understanding: true
investments are internal, not external."
When we invest, our investment consumes us—it measures
success and failure, measures our significance, determines how
we look at life, and even decides how we think other people see
us.
Do not
become one more sob story about how the physical can turn
against you! Even
more important than how you look at yourself is how God looks at
you.
Suggestion for reflection: Examine how you really invest life.
(Read 1 Timothy 6:9-12.)
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