Matthew 6:19-24
“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.
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
This week, at the Tesla annual general meeting, Elon Musk, who according to Forbes is the world’s richest man with wealth of 491.4 billion dollars, has had a record-breaking pay package approved that could be worth nearly 1 trillion dollars if he meets various targets over the next ten years. As Elon Musk took to the stage he danced to chants of his name.
Jesus taught about the need to get our priorities right and put God first in our lives – storing up treasure in heaven. Whilst there is nothing wrong with money in itself, the Bible teaches that having a love of it means that we cannot fully love God – “You cannot serve both God and Money” The apostle Paul tells Timothy, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith…” (1 Timothy 6:10) Indeed, as King Solomon lamented, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
We see the riches of God’s grace to us in that He gave His one and only Son to take the punishment for our sin by dying on the cross, that we might have the greatest treasure in heaven… eternal life, something that cannot be measured in money. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” (Ephesians 6:7-8a)
Do you put God first, before money?
