When I was a kid, some of my most valued possessions were my baseball trophies. See, I grew up in that weird in-between time where sometimes everyone who played got a trophy, and other times each trophy had to be earned. I kept them on a shelf in my room, and they were the things I took the most pride in. I kept them perfectly organized, those I worked the hardest for being front and center as they should be, right?

At some point in elementary school, I recall going to a fire safety demonstration. I know this is a jump but hang with me. They taught us all the proper actions to take when we hear our smoke alarm going off, suspect a fire, or see smoke in the house. One of those steps was to get outside as quickly as possible. Leave everything inside. Things can be bought again, but you only have one life, and it’s precious. Great advice, right? All I could think about from that statement forward was my trophies. I thought, “I can’t buy new trophies, besides, even if I could, they wouldn’t be the same because they were just bought, not earned on a field!”

Honestly, how hilarious are those thoughts? I don’t even know where those trophies are today. Likely in a musty cardboard box in my mom’s attic if not in a landfill somewhere. The value I placed on those trophies as my childish self is so drastically different from the value I place on them as an adult. In the same sense, the value we place on things of this world is so drastically different from the value God places on them.

Are new cars, big houses, and the latest iPhone necessarily bad? What about chasing after the next job promotion or investment deal? Of course not, but like verse 19 says, they’re earthly treasures and God doesn’t value them in the same way we do. They’re kind of like those musty trophies sitting in a dark attic somewhere.

As I grew older, the things I found my value in changed. My own transportation became very important to me. Later it was buying a nice ring to propose to my girlfriend, then a house in a decent neighborhood where I could raise my family. My treasures changed as I grew and matured. In the same way, our treasures should change as we grow and mature in our spiritual walk. Verse 20 says, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Some of those heavenly treasures could be valuing time with God by reading scripture, praying, and participating in corporate worship. It could be treasuring intentional, Biblical community, and being generous with our time, talents, and resources. It could be treasuring the impact we are making on people’s lives around us to be able to better share the Gospel we’ve experienced so they experience a love and peace like no other. These things should be as different from our worldly treasures as a house in a nice neighborhood is from some plastic trophies in a cardboard box.

Reflections:

• What are some things that you are placing more value on than God does?
• What are some areas of your spiritual walk that you can value more?
• Prayer: Father, teach me to find value in what You find value in. Guide me away from worldly treasures that I want to cling so tightly to. Use this maturing in my faith to bring You glory and honor.

Family Application: Matthew 6:19-24

Author: Cooper Herrington

Have you ever tried to do two things at once? Imagine trying to play a soccer game and make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the same time. Those can't really happen at the same time. You are either going to have a great soccer game or a great sandwich, but not both. Jesus teaches us a lesson about trying to do two things at once.

Jesus teaches us about generosity and trying to do two things at once. Jesus says we will either love God with all of our hearts or we will love the things He made with all of our hearts. We want to love God more than we love the things He has made.

Today, take time to tell God that you love Him and thank Him for loving you enough to send Jesus to die for you.

Prayer: God, You are great. You are the Lord. God, I love You. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for me. Amen