choose
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21 NIV
Hold this world lightly, for what you treasure may become what you worship.
It is annoyingly easy to seek security and satisfaction in temporary things instead of what we already have in Christ. Consider the story of the rich young ruler who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus lovingly replied, “..go and sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.” The man left devastated by his request because he had great wealth.
But true abundance isn’t found in our possessions or achievements, it is found in Christ alone.
Jesus doesn’t condemn wealth or success, but rather, the misuse of it. Covetousness puts us at great risk of idolatry. If we are not careful, our desires for wealth, comfort, power, and popularity can choke out the Word of God in us (Mk 4:19). Unless God’s spirit pervades our lives, we find only what G.K Chesteron called, “cures that don’t cure, blessings that don’t bless and solutions that don’t solve.” Unfortunately the rich young ruler did not understand this — the structure of his life completely absorbed his identity.
Where do you search for security and satisfaction?
Keeping God first is not void of our own interests but rather, emphasizes God as our first priority; He is first in our time, conversation, in our thoughts, in our finances, and in every decision we make. As Martin Luther King once wrote, “we have foolishly minimized the internal of our lives and maximized the external. We will not find peace in our generation until we learn that a “man’s life consists not in the abundance of things which he possesses, but in those inner treasures of the spirit which no thief can steal nor moth destroy” (Mt 6:20).
The world is changing and we must decide where our trust is placed. Let us treasure the things of the Lord and relentlessly pursue righteousness and humility of heart— when our treasure is rooted in Christ, our hearts will be anchored to our eternal salvation.
centering prayer
Search me LORD, and know my heart. Rid me of anything not of you. amen.
