The Treasure You Want
READ
This week, we're finishing the second half of Matthew 6, but instead of reading the entire passage, let's focus on the five verses that bookend this section and highlight its main idea.
Take a moment to read Matthew 6:19-21, 33-34:
"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… But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
REFLECT
Have you ever heard the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses"?
I look around at a world where so many people are trapped in that cycle. They believe that if they can just land the "good" job, get the nice car, or move up a tax bracket, they'll finally be happy.
But the truth is, when our hearts are set on building earthly kingdoms instead of His kingdom, we always end up disappointed, weary, and distracted from what matters most.
Scripture tells us, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Storing up treasures on earth is a recipe for disaster, because it keeps our hearts chasing an always-moving target of wants and desires. Nothing ever seems to satisfy us for long. When our treasure is found in earthly things — money, fame, success, the right job, you name it — we become obsessed with getting it, and then just as obsessed with protecting it, growing it, or trading up for the next flashy thing.
It sounds exhausting. And yet, isn't that the world's whole recipe for success? Work hard, get the house, the car, the vacations, the right clothes — and the moment you reach one level, a new goal unlocks and the cycle starts again.
But the Sermon on the Mount flips all of that upside down.
The Kingdom's recipe for success? Don't worry about storing up earthly treasure. Instead, become a person — a community of people — who care more about the ways of the Kingdom than the ways of this world.
Remember the "Blesseds" from Matthew 5 a few weeks back? When Jesus says "seek first the kingdom," He's already shown us what that looks like. In case you need a quick refresher: blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the merciful.
A blessed life is found in the upside-down ways of Jesus — not in chasing our own earthly treasure. And when we seek His ways and His righteousness, we don't have to worry about tomorrow, because we can freely trust the One who already holds it.
The whole Sermon on the Mount is an invitation to let go of the world's ways and embrace the Kingdom's — which leads to a truly blessed life. This week, that invitation is specific: let go of the world's way of chasing treasure. The treasure your soul was actually made for is found in the upside-down ways of the Kingdom.
Seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, and no doubt, you'll find it.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you just read.
Are there any "earthly treasures" your heart is chasing right now? List them below, and ask God to reorient your heart toward His Kingdom more than any of them.
What's one thing you can do this week to seek His Kingdom and righteousness?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God's presence, and consider one thing you can carry with you from this time. Then close by praying:
God, thank you for being a good Father who invites us to live a blessed life — not by the world's standards, but by Your Kingdom's. Today, would You help me see Your ways as better than my own? Would You help my heart seek after Your Kingdom instead of building my own earthly treasures? And when I get distracted by the world's ways, fix my eyes on You. Help me see You as better, more beautiful, and more glorious than anything I could imagine. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Port City writer Brittany Salmon wrote today’s devotional.