Matthew 6:24-34 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 6:24-34 on biblegateway.com
Verse 24"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Verse 25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Verse 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Verse 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? Verse 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, Verse 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. Verse 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? Verse 31Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' Verse 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Verse 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Verse 34"So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.
Devotion
I have too much stuff. My stuff needs storing, cleaning, repairing, protecting ... (Matt. 6:19). Yes, I serve my stuff. Therefore, the words, "You cannot serve God and wealth," (v. 24) convict me. The text further convicts me of my powerlessness to guarantee my life. Stuff is inadequate. Worry is ineffective. It is a matter of trusting God to provide for me.
Then, are people in poverty because they do not trust God? No! These verses are in context with the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-11), wherein Christ calls "blessed" the people who seem to be unfortunate. The passage also follows Christ's command to give discreetly out of love (Matt. 6:2-4). Today's text implores me to observe nature and recognize that God provides abundantly. There is enough for all if we justly distribute God's abundance. What stuff have I taken--stolen--that is more than I need and, therefore, not rightfully mine?
Prayer
Merciful God, forgive me for serving material possessions! Please increase my trust in you. Impel me to share the abundance you have given me so that more of your children have enough. Amen.