Day Five Matthew 6:22-24
22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! 24 No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” – Matthew 6:22-24 (NLT)
Learn From the Word
The Greek word for “healthy” in this verse implies “generous” and “single-minded.” Jesus is addressing our spiritual vision, specifically how we see money and material possessions. When we're single-mindedly focused on the Kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of this world, Jesus says our whole body is filled with light. But if we're stingy and focused on holding tightly to our money, He says our bodies are filled with darkness. He drives His point home further using the illustration of a slave and a master, not an employee and employer. Jesus isn’t exaggerating when He says it’s impossible to serve two masters.
Put It Into Practice
Jesus talks about money more than anything else because He knows it’s His chief competitor for our hearts. Who is winning in the battle for yours? Where do your bank account, your time, and your thought life say your affections lie? If you need more help in this area, register for our spring Financial Foundations class at tpcc.org/financial-foundations. God’s best for us is to not be enslaved by anything but righteousness. Make these verses from Psalm 119 your prayer today.
For Families with Kids at Home
We can either love and worship our stuff, or we can love and worship God, but we can’t do both! The concept of worshiping our stuff can be a little hard to grasp, but “worship” is really another word for something or someone you think about, admire, spend time with, and get joy from.
Ask your kids what possession or activity they would fear to lose. Chances are, that’s the thing they need to hand over to God. Whether it’s a favorite video game, an activity they love, or a relationship they treasure, it can be tempting to cling tightly to our favorite things. But when we invite God in and we’re open-handed with what we care about, we signal that we trust God – and that’s the worship that God desires!