I talked briefly yesterday about how if we set our sights on the sins we want to avoid, saying constantly to ourselves “I have to stay away from this,” we are actually more likely to fall to temptation.
A better way to fight temptation is to set our sights on God and follow him.
But this is true not only in temptation. It’s true in every aspect of our lives.
Jesus here talks about where we set our sights in everyday life, saying,
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
He then says,
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. (Matthew 6:24)
So the question is, “Where are we setting our sights?”
For many people, they set their sights on what is temporary; on money, on things.
But Jesus warns us that these things will not last. That we are to set our hearts on that which is eternal. What is eternal?
Only two things: Our relationship with God, and our relationships with those who put their faith in Jesus.
There is nothing else on this earth that we can take with us into heaven.
And so this is what we need to be setting our sights on here on earth: Developing our relationship with God. Sharing the gospel with those who don’t know Christ. And developing our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
By doing this, we earn for ourselves treasures in heaven. For what greater treasure is there than a relationship with the God who loves us and with those we love?
But so many people, even Christians, set their hearts on money. On the things of this world.
Jesus warns that we can’t do this. God doesn’t accept half-hearted service. Either we serve money or we serve him.
Jesus asks in this passage what kind of eyes we have. Do we have eyes that see things as they really are? Do we have eyes that see what’s truly important?
He says that if we do, our life will be filled with light. We’ll live a life worth living, the kind of life God intended for us. A life centered around relationships.
But if we don’t, our life will be filled with darkness.
We’ll be stumbling around unfulfilled and never knowing why. We’ll constantly be grasping for money and other things that ultimately leave us empty if we make them our life’s pursuit.
And he laments that if what we think is “light” is truly darkness, how great that darkness truly is. So he warns in Luke 11:35,
See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.
How about you? What are your eyes set on?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 