Righteousness in Personal Life
Read: Matthew 6:19-34
Yesterday, we looked at the contrast between earthly and heavenly rewards which leads naturally to
today’s verses on earthly and heavenly treasures. Treasures in Heaven are “stored up” obedience
to God in all areas of life. They are the rewards that are given to the disciple who puts God first.
Treasures on earth give no permanent security or satisfaction; they can be destroyed by moths or
by other means. Many misinterpret these verses to be only about wealth, but verses 19-24 seem to
be more concerned with the disciples’ loyalty than their wealth. Materialism is in direct conflict with
loyalty to God. The danger of amassing possessions is that the treasure will demand the disciple’s
loyalty and take away from Kingdom work. The focus is undivided loyalty which is why Jesus says,
“no one can serve two masters”. Possessions can be used to serve God, but they also can claim a
man’s allegiance.
The remainder of the chapter deals with anxiety and the conflict it has with faith. It is important to
note that Jesus is not forbidding having a responsible concern for people’s needs. His concern is
with priorities and keeping God first. Anxiety achieves nothing. It cannot add time to our lifespans,
in fact, it may shorten it. In verses 31-32 Jesus tells us why we need not worry. The Father is the
antidote for worry; Jesus assures His disciples that God can and will provide for them. The climax
of the passage is verse 33 which tells the disciples what they are to do. Instead of emphasizing the
negative, Jesus now sets out the positive attitudes required by disciples. “Seek first His Kingdom”.
This is the kind of life that God requires of His disciples - to find and to do the will of God and be
loyal to His purpose. God does not want our lives to be crowded with material concerns which are
distracting and unnecessary. Jesus is not promoting irresponsibility, happy-go-lucky- optimism or
fatalistic acceptance of the status quo but rather He is calling the disciple to an undistracted pursuit
of His true goal which is to put first things first and let God take care of the rest.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Throughout His teaching, Jesus is constantly giving His disciples warnings so that they can
receive their full reward. Spend some time thanking God for these warnings, that He cares
enough to warn us.
2. Ask the Lord to give you a word, thought or picture about your loyalty to Him. Ask Him to
show you anything that may be in in conflict with this loyalty.
3. Ask the Lord to show you about the priorities in your life. Are you seeking first His Kingdom?
What gets in the way? Ask Him to speak to you about these things.
