Monday October 24, 2022

Today is Monday, October 24 and we are learning what Jesus says about treasure.

I enter this time of prayer seeking to still the chaos of the world and silence the noise of my mind. I center myself upon the One true God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Pause and Pray

Lord Jesus, I want to learn the definition of true treasure. Teach me what it means to live the kingdom life with You as my personal instructor and the Holy Spirit as my guide. Wherever You lead, I will follow. Amen.

I praise God for His steadfast love and faithfulness with the words of Psalm 26.

Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. Psalm 26:2-3

Pause and Pray

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus examines my ambitions and motivations. What do I truly value? What causes me worry? It is to these twin areas of money and worry that Jesus turns in the remaining verses of Matthew chapter six. This week the concern is about money and material possessions. Jesus is specific regarding the sorts of things that capture my spending power. I cannot have divided loyalties or interests. God is to be first in my heart, not money, earthly treasures or worldly possessions.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

John Wesley examines the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount carefully when it comes to money and possessions. Wesley encourages Christians to provide whatever is necessary for themselves and their families – wholesome food to eat and clean clothing to wear. Adequate shelter, education and medical care. I am encouraged to labor diligently and provide the necessities of life, but not delicacies or luxuries. I should not deliberately labor after extravagant possessions or store up large amounts of unnecessary wealth. Wesley warns Christians against the accumulation of debt. I should not owe money to anyone. *

Ask: What is my relationship with money and possessions? What earthly treasures have I “stored up” for myself?

Pause and Pray

Lord Jesus, examine my heart and see what it is I truly value. Reveal the treasures I have already stored up for myself – be they earthly or heavenly. What once-valued possessions now sit in my attic moth-eaten and worn? What worldly goods do I lock away from thieves when they could be utilized to help those in need? I read Matthew again, listening for the message You have for me today.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

Jesus speaks to me from the ancient words in the Sermon on the Mount. This week, I garner His instruction on my relationship with money and possessions. Maybe God wants me to understand why I “store up” certain things. What is at the root of stockpiling money or hoarding possessions? Perhaps worry, anxiety or fear are the root cause. Maybe it is the “lust of the eyes” and the desire to accumulate shiny new possessions. How might God want me to gain a fresh perspective and understand the meaning of true treasure?

Pause and Pray

Lord Jesus Christ, I open the doors to my store houses, bank accounts, stock portfolios, and real estate investments. Come, peer into my cluttered attic, crowded garage, and jam-packed closet. See the waste in the back of my pantry and the unused food in my overstuffed freezer. Reveal what I have valued more than You. Amen.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19

*Resources: Sermons on Several Occasions, Volume II – Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, by John Wesley, edited by William J. Abraham, 2021.

As I leave this time of prayer, I go to store up for myself treasures in heaven.

Amen