In the preceding section, Jesus contrasted the earthly reward of men’s attention with the heavenly reward from the Father. Beginning in 6:19, he contrasted earthly wealth’s transience with heavenly wealth’s permanence. Jesus’ followers must be motivated by their love relationship with God. What Does Jesus Say About Our Treasure Matthew 6:19-21  1. Proper Investments Are Key He urged his followers to forget earth and think of heaven. We must not waste our time trying to get ahead in this world. Jesus summarized why the kingdom servant is motivated to practice righteous acts. It is not for temporary honor among men on earth but for eternal reward before the Father in heaven. The point of this life is preparation for the world to come. The present tense verb here can best be translated as “Stop storing up treasures on earth!” But This concept of storing heavenly treasure by doing good works was common in the rabbinic tradition, so it would have been easily understood by Jesus’ audience and Matthew’s readers. There is nothing that we can take with us into eternity, but the Kingdom’s investments are eternal. › One day, when we get to heaven, we can enjoy all the kingdom investments we have made here. Matthew 6:22-23  2. Be Careful What You Are Exposed To We must be cautious about what we look at and expose ourselves to. Our eyes are like lenses that flash images onto our minds—like film in a camera—leaving a graphic impression on our thoughts and memories. These two verses can be confusing until we look at them in the light of the preceding and following context. We have not departed from the theme of the person’s attitude toward material wealth. Jesus spoke of a small part of the body as very important to the body as a whole, much as James claimed that anyone who could tame his tongue could tame his whole body (Jas. 3:1–12). Jesus and James spoke of the inner human control over one’s attitude toward wealth and one’s choice of words.  A person with a generous eye can see clearly, and life can be guided in wisdom and safety by such light. The person with a jealous, selfish eye is walking in darkness and is bound for harm he cannot see.”  › We are spending more now than ever in history to impress a group of people we do not even like enough to speak to. Matthew 6:24  3. You Cannot Serve God and Money The term Money is from the Aramaic mamon, meaning “wealth” or “property.” Mamon: An Aramaic word that is transliterated into Greek in the New Testament, meaning “wealth,” “money,” “riches,” or even “property.” The word מָמוֹן occurs four times in the New Testament, all spoken by Jesus. Any compromise of allegiance in this issue reminds us of the Lord’s attitude toward those who are “lukewarm” in Revelation 3:15–16. It seems to suggest he thinks even less of those who claim to serve him but have other loyalties than those who claim no loyalty to him. The Bible does not discuss money; it talks about the love of money and riches. Many of us work harder and extra hours to afford things we do not necessarily need. The last thing we lay at the altar of Jesus is our wallet. Why are we so unwilling to give Jesus control of our finances? Do we think that He is not big enough to provide for us? What are our transformational moments? What kingdom investment are you making? Do you need to shut out the social media comparisons? Who do you serve with your finances?