Earthly Treasures
Matthew 6 (NIV)
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Remember this? Remember the old no earthly treasure mandate? It was in my Sunday School lesson for this week, but I didn’t read it because I was too busy working on earthly pursuits.
I have been thinking about it after the fact, however.
I went to an academic conference this past week, which I found very invigorating. It was great to meet new people and hear new ideas. It was also nice to have a chance to spout a few of my own opinions and watch the immediate feedback bouncing right back to me. I met some people who are like the rock stars of my profession, and I got some positive attention for my own little efforts at being academically active, and it was all pretty cool.
Earthly treasures.
I can’t think of who really benefited from me being there other than me. Maybe my students will benefit some down the road from what I’ve learned. Maybe I was able to say something another teacher found useful, and her students will somehow benefit from it. Maybe the people I met will gain untold blessings from having gotten the chance to get to know me. We can play the fantasy through several stages. It’s just a little writing pedagogy ministry I have going.
Earthly treasures.
Here’s what I think, though, and I thank David and Perrin and a few others in my little rogue Bible study group for helping me see it this way. It’s not about keeping count. We all have our earthly callings. We all have to put in our time of rendering unto Caesar. What matters is just what matters to us.
These passages like, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth," are meant as prompts for self-reflection. Priority check time. As long as we remember to question our priorities from time to time…as long as we have a clear sense of where our loyalties belong and where our hearts belong…as long as we are giving of our time, money, and talents in ways we know to be spiritually true…we’re probably okay.
Sometimes we can and should use our earthly treasure for heavenly good. What matters is that the treasure itself is not what matters to us.
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Remember this? Remember the old no earthly treasure mandate? It was in my Sunday School lesson for this week, but I didn’t read it because I was too busy working on earthly pursuits.
I have been thinking about it after the fact, however.
I went to an academic conference this past week, which I found very invigorating. It was great to meet new people and hear new ideas. It was also nice to have a chance to spout a few of my own opinions and watch the immediate feedback bouncing right back to me. I met some people who are like the rock stars of my profession, and I got some positive attention for my own little efforts at being academically active, and it was all pretty cool.
Earthly treasures.
I can’t think of who really benefited from me being there other than me. Maybe my students will benefit some down the road from what I’ve learned. Maybe I was able to say something another teacher found useful, and her students will somehow benefit from it. Maybe the people I met will gain untold blessings from having gotten the chance to get to know me. We can play the fantasy through several stages. It’s just a little writing pedagogy ministry I have going.
Earthly treasures.
Here’s what I think, though, and I thank David and Perrin and a few others in my little rogue Bible study group for helping me see it this way. It’s not about keeping count. We all have our earthly callings. We all have to put in our time of rendering unto Caesar. What matters is just what matters to us.
These passages like, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth," are meant as prompts for self-reflection. Priority check time. As long as we remember to question our priorities from time to time…as long as we have a clear sense of where our loyalties belong and where our hearts belong…as long as we are giving of our time, money, and talents in ways we know to be spiritually true…we’re probably okay.
Sometimes we can and should use our earthly treasure for heavenly good. What matters is that the treasure itself is not what matters to us.
posted by Sharon Gerald | 6:13 PM
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