Verse of the Day:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,"
Matthew 6:19 ESV
Jesus knows our hearts (Acts 15:8; Luke 6:15). He knows that we're deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 15:9). Therefore, in this section, He is emphasizing what it means to lead a righteous life while here on earth. And it's important to emphasize that those who were hearing Him for the first time would have been surprised at how different His message sounded compared to Israel's religious leaders at the time (who focused largely on words and actions - or outward behaviors). Yet Jesus is saying what we do and why we do it both factor into God's approval (Matthew 6:1-2; 5-6; 16-17) Put simply, those who live for worldly wealth deal with, and live in inner darkness. There is only room for one thing to be the primary focus of our life, so we have to choose if that primary focus is God, or ourselves and our desires.
As He turns the focus of His words to that of money, Jesus tells us that money and possessions are not dependable, but can easily be lost.
Just a couple of years ago, my wife and I were sitting in our living room when our phones notified us with an alert:
"Tornado Warning: Take Action!
There is imminent danger to life and property. Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris."
We rushed to our closet with our pets and watched the news on our phones to see what was happening. Just down the road a tornado touched down and was moving our direction when the news pointed out that it had just hit a building. Luckily it passed just north of our neighborhood and continued on - not doing much more damage.
However, we found out that the building that had been hit was a house. Ripped from its foundation.
Disaster and chaos can take everything we have in an instant.
Put simply, material possessions are temporary - and Jesus points out that no one can possibly build up enough wealth to fully guarantee (with no risk whatsoever) that their needs will be met forever. I'm going to bring up a cliche that you probably hear people say all the time (I, myself, am very guilty of saying this one a lot): "you can't take it with you" (Luke 12:19-20).
Now, I need to clarify, this teaching is about our hearts and motivations. It doesn't mean we can't have money, own a house/land/property, or have a bank account. We need to provide for our families (1 Timothy 5:8), and we see in Proverbs 6:6-8 that wisdom even demands planning for our temporary future on earth. Wealth is just like any other blessing from God (1 Timothy 4:4) and can absolutely be used according to His will.
The message that I want to leave you with today is that becoming dependent on worldly wealth - to the point that you cross the line into greed or materialism is the issue that Jesus is addressing. As you read this verse today, read a little further, as Jesus challenges these questions of the heart in the following verses.
