“19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today” Matthew 6:19-34.
Some of the most beloved texts in my life are from this section of Matthew’s Gospel:
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also… 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear… 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’… 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Here Jesus teaches us how we should approach material possessions and the basic necessities of life. Those who seek first the kingdom have a peaceful confidence in the Father to provide for their lives (6:25–34). Though many times we seek security in storing up riches, Jesus reminds us that these are unstable and perishable. We should all instead store up treasures in heaven, that is, heavenly rewards.
I hear Jesus asking each of us,“Where is your heart?” A pure hearts serves one master, for no one can serve two masters. To serve one master requires total, exclusive commitment. Having two masters divides our loyalties. Though many people seek to serve both God and money, and Jesus points out that this is not possible. If we are preoccupied with building up treasures on earth, we cannot give to God our total, undivided service.
The word worry is used five times in this short section. Worry denotes excessive concern and anxiety that monopolizes our heart’s attention. Jesus says do not worry about your life or about your body and then lists three specific areas of concern that represent the necessities of life: eating, drinking, and clothing (see Sirach 29:21). While these are important, they are not the ultimate goal of life: Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
If we are true disciples, we cannot worry excessively about these things because we need to entrust our lives entirely to our heavenly Father who knows all our needs. Seek first the kingdom of God…and His righteousness, meaning that God’s must be the top priority in our lives. Why worry about the future, our job, our finances, our reputation?
So dear friends, Jesus reminds us that our heavenly Father provides for us and always brings whatever is best for us. If we truly place our trust in God’s plan for our lives, all other things will fall into their proper place. Thus Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” Having confidence in the Father can be a source of great peace and joy, liberating us from the fear and worry that might otherwise plague our lives.
So today, bring this to your prayer — and enjoy what God is saying to you!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
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