Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:21
What is one thing that you are passionate about? Maybe you are passionate about your job, your family, financial success, or perhaps something else comes to mind. None of these things are bad. Many of them are good. The question is, are they competing with what many of us would hope is our number one passion: God. You see, we have a clear command in Scripture to live in such a way that God is to be the first place in our lives, and our children are watching to see the way we live.
When we think about our passions, we talk about what our hearts are centered around and what we treasure the most. This makes sense. After all, the heart is one of the essential organs in our entire body. It pumps blood and provides important nutrients that our body needs. Because of this, it is no surprise that when Jesus was asked in Mark 12 what the most important command in Scripture was, Jesus said the most important command was to “love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Mark 12:30a).
Just like the heart provides blood to our bodies, a love for God should provide motivation and purpose to everything we do. It should be the emotion and motivation behind all of our actions and attitudes. In other words, when someone loves God with all of their heart, that love drives their actions. This means that nothing else takes the place of Him. He is more important than anything else. Notice in Mark 12 that Jesus used the word “all.” That means that our entire heart should belong to Him.
In Matthew 6, we have a picture of what it looks like to love God with all of our hearts. In these verses, Jesus calls us to love God more than anything else. He calls us not to love things on this earth because they will ultimately fade away. “Wherever your treasure is,” He says, “there the desire of your hearts will also be” (Matthew 6:21). You see, we do not have to look far to see where our hearts are. Where are you investing your time, talents, and money? Wherever that is, that is what is occupying your heart, your emotions, and your affection.
What you put in your heart matters. This goes for the songs you listen to or the shows you watch. A heart that loves God first seeks to clear the other stuff that is not of Him out. We have to do this individually and also for the kids who are coming after us. Our hope is that you will put your heart and focus in the right place.
Our calling today is to pause and evaluate what we are passionate about. If we need help evaluating, we can look at where we spend our time, money, and attention. Those are the things we are passionate about. Has anything overshadowed your passion for God and His kingdom? If so, confess this to God. Then, make plans to re-evaluate your passions and priorities, so nothing is more important than Him.
Matthew 6:19-24 (NLT)
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
©2024 Sagebrush Church
