The subject of money can quickly make us feel uncomfortable. Money (or wealth) has God-like traits: security, power, provision, and healthcare. It can quickly bring us to idolatry, in which we make a good thing the ultimate thing. On the one hand our generous God loves to give good things to his children (Mat. 7:11). But on the other hand, the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10). 

Today’s section from the Sermon on the Mount is three short paragraphs that address the heart, the mind, and the will as they relate to possessions. What the heart wants, the mind justifies, and the will chooses.

Our greatest treasure must be Jesus.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).

Heart. 

Jesus cautions us about the connection of our hearts to our treasures (v.21). So how can we evaluate our relationship to wealth?  Jesus gives us the principle: “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” 

Mind.

“The eye is the lamp of the body,” meaning that whatever we look at will determine what occupies our thoughts. This is why coveting is forbidden in the Ten Commandments. 

Will.

Jesus explicitly puts the decision before us. We must choose God or money.

Taking It Home: 

Spend time thinking about God’s grace for you. He treasures you. Christians are “a people of his own possession” (1 Pet. 3:9). Develop a daily quiet time in which you fill your mind with his word. Practice generosity by giving at least a tithe (10%) of your income away. Kingdom investments last forever.