Monday Devo
Scripture:
Matthew 6:19-33
19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 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!
24 “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.
25 “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? 26 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? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “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, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 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?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 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!
24 “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.
25 “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? 26 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? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “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, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 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?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Commentary:
16:25 Verses 25–27, each beginning with for (Gk. gar), provide three related reasons why a disciple must let go of his earthly life and take up his cross. whoever would save his life. The person who rejects God’s will and instead pursues his own will for his life ultimately loses eternally every earthly good he is trying to protect.
16:26 gains the whole world. Acquiring all of the money, pleasure, and power of this world brings no lasting benefit if one forfeits his soul to spiritual death and separation from God (cf. Phil. 3:7–9).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1856.
16:26 gains the whole world. Acquiring all of the money, pleasure, and power of this world brings no lasting benefit if one forfeits his soul to spiritual death and separation from God (cf. Phil. 3:7–9).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1856.
Questions:
Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. Our hearts have a way of following whatever we value most. The things we spend our money on, the things we work hard for, and the things we're afraid to lose can reveal what has become most important to us. We may say that God is our greatest treasure, but our choices can tell a different story.
Jesus went on to say that no one can serve two masters. We cannot serve both God and money. Money itself isn't the problem. We need it to provide for our families, pay our bills, and meet everyday needs. But money can become something we depend on for more than that. We can begin looking to it for security, comfort, freedom, or a sense of worth. Before long, our decisions are shaped more by what money can give us than by what God has called us to do.
This is why Jesus connected our relationship with money to our relationship with God. What we treasure reveals where our hearts are, and what we trust reveals who or what is serving as our master. Sometimes we don't recognize how much influence money has until we're faced with the possibility of losing it. An unexpected expense, a change in income, or an uncertain future can expose how quickly our peace disappears when our financial security feels threatened.
Jesus didn't leave His followers to figure out where their security should come from. He reminded them that their Heavenly Father knows what they need and cares for them. He called them to seek God's Kingdom first, trusting that God would provide what they needed. That doesn't mean we'll always have everything we want or that following Jesus guarantees an easy financial life. It means we don't have to make money our source of security. We can work hard, plan wisely, and provide for our families while still trusting God more than the things we can earn or save.
It's worth asking what you are really trusting money to provide for you. Is it the feeling that your future is secure? The freedom to do what you want? The comfort of having more than enough? When those things become what we depend on most, it's easy to let money take a place in our hearts that belongs to God. Jesus invites us to a different way of living: one where our treasure is in Him, our trust is in our Heavenly Father, and our lives are shaped by His Kingdom.
Jesus went on to say that no one can serve two masters. We cannot serve both God and money. Money itself isn't the problem. We need it to provide for our families, pay our bills, and meet everyday needs. But money can become something we depend on for more than that. We can begin looking to it for security, comfort, freedom, or a sense of worth. Before long, our decisions are shaped more by what money can give us than by what God has called us to do.
This is why Jesus connected our relationship with money to our relationship with God. What we treasure reveals where our hearts are, and what we trust reveals who or what is serving as our master. Sometimes we don't recognize how much influence money has until we're faced with the possibility of losing it. An unexpected expense, a change in income, or an uncertain future can expose how quickly our peace disappears when our financial security feels threatened.
Jesus didn't leave His followers to figure out where their security should come from. He reminded them that their Heavenly Father knows what they need and cares for them. He called them to seek God's Kingdom first, trusting that God would provide what they needed. That doesn't mean we'll always have everything we want or that following Jesus guarantees an easy financial life. It means we don't have to make money our source of security. We can work hard, plan wisely, and provide for our families while still trusting God more than the things we can earn or save.
It's worth asking what you are really trusting money to provide for you. Is it the feeling that your future is secure? The freedom to do what you want? The comfort of having more than enough? When those things become what we depend on most, it's easy to let money take a place in our hearts that belongs to God. Jesus invites us to a different way of living: one where our treasure is in Him, our trust is in our Heavenly Father, and our lives are shaped by His Kingdom.
- What do you tend to look to money for: security, comfort, freedom, approval, or something else? How might that reveal a place where money has too much influence in your life?
- Where do you find yourself struggling to trust God more than your finances? What do you think is underneath that struggle?
- What is one way you can practice trusting God with your finances this week instead of looking to money for your sense of security?
Prayer Topics:
- Ask God to reveal where money has taken a place in your heart that belongs to Him.
- Confess the ways you have looked to money for security, comfort, or control instead of trusting your Heavenly Father.
- Ask God to help you hold your finances and possessions with open hands, trusting Him with your future.
- Pray for a heart that treasures Jesus above everything else and seeks His Kingdom first.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
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