Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
July 10, 2021
Read Matthew 6:19-24
19 “Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. 20 Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. 21 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how terrible that darkness will be! 24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Good Morning! Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet!
Yesterday, I was reading a post from a high school classmate on Facebook, and he lifted up Jacob talking to Pharaoh in Genesis 47 who respond when asked his age that he was in year 130 of his pilgrimage. Our time here on Earth is our pilgrimage because we are just passing through on our way to glory.
Most of us have a hard time when it comes to collecting earthly treasures which were exemplified during my recent move. As I talked with others during the daunting task to purge some of my belongings, I know that many of us collect treasures and the longer we are stationary the more the treasures accumulate. It is okay to gather things along our pilgrimage to make our journey more enjoyable or meet our current needs, but we must be willing to let it all go at a moment’s notice for we know neither the place nor the time when we will join our Lord. What types of treasures are you carrying on your pilgrimage, are they simple trinkets that lift your spirits and lighten the load, or are you carrying the treasures that the earthly world values like wealth and power? Sadly, the more earthly value that your treasures hold, the more you will be weighed down and the more difficult your journey will be. Again, Jesus is turning earthly values upside down.
If money and power cause us difficulty, then let us consider the treasures that will make our journey easier! Jesus showed us as he journeyed on Earth that loving God and loving one another are treasures to be valued along our pilgrimage. When we center and focus our lives on God, we are walking in the light, in fact, we are the light. In contrast, when we are focused on earthly values, we are walking in darkness, and the vaster our store of treasures the greater the level of darkness from which we must emerge to find the light of Jesus. Later in Matthew, Jesus comments on the difficulty for a rich man to enter heaven. It is not impossible, but it requires letting it all go and turning your trust to God, not wealth or power. What will you choose to bring you joy on your pilgrimage?
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. We are on a pilgrimage to our final place with you. We often are distracted by the earthly values we encounter. May we keep our eyes focused on our hearts where we find your love in us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Trusting in God brings security that the world can never give.
Lighten your load by discarding earthly treasures! Pastor Liz