You choose who or what you serve
Daily Scripture
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.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
We always have to choose what we value most. If a band you love has a concert on the same night your favorite team has a big game, which do you attend? Jesus focused on the biggest choice all of us need to make in life—the choice of our ultimate, governing loyalty. Wealth in and of itself is value neutral, but Jesus said putting it at the emotional center of your life is not. He taught that “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and added, “You cannot serve God and wealth.”
- Scholar Craig Keener wrote that “Mammon” (the word translated “wealth” in verse 24) was “an Aramaic word for possessions or money, and Jesus seems to be personifying it as an idol.” * Few of us would ever think of physically bowing down before our retirement account or a valued car or house. Given that, what do you think it looks like to make wealth an idol? What does it mean, tangibly, for you to choose to serve God rather than wealth?
- We can validly spend money on many things—vacations, collectibles we enjoy, prized belongings, tickets to special events, houses, retirement savings, and so on. But have you ever put money into something touted as “secure” that proved to be insecure? What do you think Jesus meant by collecting “treasures in heaven”? Where is your heart—do you put as much time and energy into “investing” in heaven as into earthly investments and spending options?
Prayer
Jesus, you are Lord of my life, and I want to “collect treasures” in heaven. As I make specific, everyday choices of how to spend my time, energy, and money, increase my capacity to live out your values. Amen.
GPS Insights
Olivia Peterson
Olivia Peterson is a summer intern with Resurrection Students. She is going into her Senior year at the University of Arkansas and plans to attend medical school the year after. She hopes to eventually work for Doctors Without Borders.
Being a college student, I constantly question what my future holds and what I want to do in life. When considering the future, I remember a quote my mom always reminded me of: “Do something that fills your cup.” This has continually resonated with me as I walked through high school, and now college, alongside God. Through volunteering locally at a young age in organizations such as Harvesters I started to experience the impact of serving others. Then through attending serve trips with the Church, we were able to help even more organizations. The feeling of giving through time and energy is very rewarding and something everyone should experience.
Seek what gives you a purpose, and for me that is serving. Find a serve project you are passionate about and dive into it. No matter how many times a week or month, your service is always needed. There is no greater reward than helping others and feeling like you have made a difference in their life. On my most recent mission trip to Honduras, our leader told us, “You may not feel like you have changed the world, but you changed their world.” A powerful quote I will remember forever exemplifying the strength of serving others.
When I realized how fulfilling serving others was, I knew I had to do something comparable in life. I decided to go into the medical field and pursue this degree to eventually help others every single day, hopefully with Doctors without Borders. I realized I had the ability to give back and serve others. There is no better experience than helping your neighbor and loving on others through service to the world.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Craig S. Keener, comment on Matthew 6:24 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
