The treasure of a follower of Jesus
by Pastor Glenn Crouch
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You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24).
Read Matthew 6:19–24
We do like our ‘stuff’. I have always enjoyed collecting things – especially when I was younger. Oh, the joy of coming across that stamp I was missing from a set or that comic that had the conclusion of a story I had been waiting ages to finish. Even though my pastoral library is primarily digital these days, I still get a good feeling when I complete a commentary set – or an expensive book I’ve been after is on a good special! How about you?
In today’s passage, Jesus is not saying that all this stuff we have is bad. God created and sustains a beautiful and rich world, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying the many blessings he supplies. Rather, Jesus is warning his followers about priorities. How much weight do we place on our possessions (money, property, status)?
Treasure is something we tend to horde, lock away and keep to ourselves. We protect and fight for it. We can easily turn our stuff into idols – we can treasure it more than following Jesus. Our eyes drift away from the cross as we focus on our stuff. Our ears no longer hear the Holy Spirit as we follow where the materialism of our world leads us. We cannot be followers of Jesus and be obsessed with our possessions.
Turn back to the cross. Confess your sins. Receive the forgiveness that your Lord Jesus has earned for you. Get up and go out and follow Jesus. Hold on to Jesus, and never forget that he has an even tighter hold on you.
Creator God, thank you for the abundance you supply me with. You far exceed my needs. I need your help to keep me focused on my Lord Jesus. I want to be good at following Jesus, but I fail so often. Forgive me. Help my eyes to remain focused on him. In his name, I pray. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder, Western Australia. Glenn and Karen have been married since 1985. They have two grown sons and are enjoying regular video chats with their first grandchild.
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