The Real Thing
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:19-24)
True success is not found in money or education. We live in a phony, plastic world and have been lied to or cheated at one time or another. But true success is found in serving the one true God.
Based on our Scripture, there are three basic truths that we all need to read and apply.
We Must Possess True Wealth
Most people think that wealth is found in storing up treasures here on earth, but Christ says that real wealth is not found in physical things, but in spiritual things. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said that a man who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver. “Labor not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom” (Proverbs 23:4).
A rich man is poor when he tries to find satisfaction in what he has and money becomes a master rather than a servant.
A rich man who has no treasures in heaven is desperately poor. "Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). And in Proverbs 11:4, Solomon told his son, “Riches profit not in the day of wrath.” All the wealth in the world won't help you when you stand before God's throne.
God doesn't condemn the rich. Instead, He charges them not to put their trust in their wealth, don't put your trust in uncertain possessions as Paul declares in 1 Timothy 6, “but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.”
If you really want to know how wealthy you are, add up the things in your life that money can't buy and death cannot take away. You have “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). The only safety deposit box of any merit is the one you have in heaven.
Invest in something going to heaven. Praise goes to heaven, so you'd better invest in praise. Souls go to heaven, so you'd better invest in soul winning. Prayers go to heaven, so invest heavily in prayer.
If we're going to be successful in God's eyes, we must possess real wealth. Real wealth isn't found in the trappings of this world, but in the blessings of the next.
We Must Perceive True Wisdom
There are many people who think they have wisdom, but they don't. As Jesus put it, the light that they think they have is actually darkness. How great that darkness must be for them. Solomon says, “Get wisdom,” time after time in the Proverbs. Wisdom is the principal thing. I'm not saying get an education, but get wisdom.
When Jesus speaks of the "eye" in Matthew 6, He is talking about the eye of the soul. He is comparing spiritual sight with physical sight. Light allows the eye to see, so if you have light in your eye, you can see. Without the Lord Jesus in your life, you are walking around in darkness.
Paul once said, “I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Everything in Paul's life centered on Jesus. When you come to know Him, your body will be full of light.
Sometimes, when I get busy, I find my life not centered on Christ. I'm double‑minded, and I have to take a deep breath and say, "Only You, Lord. I want to be single‑minded about You." Then I take everything and just give it to Jesus. I give Him my work, my family, all my possessions, my position, my abilities, and even myself. There are times when I struggle with that, so I have to wrestle with my attitude until I can acknowledge Christ as Lord over all. Then it's as though my body is full of light. That's how God wants me to live: with real wisdom, giving everything over to His control.
The book of Judges tells of a time when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6) and the nation fell into chaos. There was a complete lack of morality. That's where we are headed. The people trying to lead aren't trying to do wrong, they are trying to do right. But they're blind, so what they think is right is actually wrong. When the blind lead the blind, they both fall in the ditch. Make certain you have real wisdom God's wisdom. Don't allow the darkness to be your light.
We Must Practice True Worship
"No man can serve two masters," the Lord said in Matthew 6:24. You will either love God, or you will love mammon. You can't love both. You can't serve both.
"Mammon" was the Aramaic word for possessions. Jesus tells us that we must choose who we will worship as. Either we will worship the true God, or we will worship the false god of wealth. They are both slave owners, and you can't belong to two masters at once any more than you can walk in two directions at the same time!
There is one Lord, and His name is Jesus. He wants preeminence in your life. He demands to be Lord, with no rival, no refusal, and no rebuttal. As a Christian, you are His slave. He bought your life when He died on the cross for you. If you don't accept His ownership, you cannot be a Christian. There is freedom that comes through absolute slavery. When you bow to Him, He makes you His slave, but in doing so He sets you free.
You may not want to be a slave, but everyone is a slave to someone. He that serves sin is the slave of sin. You may think that you are your own master, but that's not the case. You are free to do as you want but not free to do as you ought, not until you become a slave of Christ ─ making you a slave to righteousness.
So make sure you know who you are worshipping. Everybody is worshipping someone. If you claim to be in charge of your life and say that you're not a slave, then you are worshipping Satan. He is behind all worship that doesn't go to God. Even if you go to church and sing in the choir, if you live your life for money and pleasure, you're worshipping the devil and you are deceiving yourself.
There is only one God, and He won't share His throne with anyone. If He is not Lord of your life, Satan is. Make sure you are worshipping the true God. We dare not allow anyone else to take His place. If we want success, we must practice true worship. True success is not found in money or education. It is found in serving the one true God.
1. Where do most people put their trust?
What’s wrong with putting our trust in wealth?
If putting our trust in God offers a better deal, why don’t more people do it?
2. What principles for money management do you find in the following verses?
3. What truth does Peter offer in 1 Peter 1:3-5?
What do you glean from Paul’s words to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6-11?
What should mark a mature man of God, according to Hebrews 13:5?
4. What does Ecclesiastes 5:10 reveal about money?
What was wrong with the perspective of money Ananias and Sapphira had in Acts 5:1-11?
What should be our motivation for giving?
What do you think your checkbook reveals about your priorities?
5. What do the following passages from Proverbs reveal about the wisdom of God?
6. How is worshipping possessions actually worshipping Satan?
In what way do possessions drive us away from God?
How are we slaves, according to Romans 6:15-18?
Application
How does Paul describe our attitude about money in 2 Corinthians 8:1-15? What had the people given? What is Paul asking from them?
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