Our Lord charges His disciples (and secondarily, the listening multitudes) not to lay up treasures on the earth, but rather, to lay up eternal, incorruptible treasures in heaven. And indeed, a true follower of Christ; a true subject of the Kingdom of God, is one whose heart is not divided. One cannot serve both God and wealth. In fact, to love the one, and to be loyal to the one, is to despise and reject the other. And so, we are challenged to examine our own hearts, and to make an honest assessment of where our hearts truly are, by considering the direction of our lives, especially concerning how we relate to the material things of this world.
This morning, our Lord addresses another important theme, within this same context. You see, while we are called not to love the things of this world, it is also true, at the same time, that we do need certain things in order to survive. We are physical beings. That's why the Apostle Paul told Timothy that we must learn to be content with food and drink; because such things as food and drink and clothing and shelter are life necessities, aren't they? And so, the question must further be asked then, "How do we relate to the material necessities of life, which we need to survive, and how does this mesh with our Lord's emphasis on the importance of prioritizing the Kingdom of God?" One might even say, "How can I focus on the Kingdom of God; How can I live a life of 'all-out' sacrifice, when I have basic physical needs that need to be met, at the same time? Do I really have time for the work of a "spiritual" kingdom, when I have important "physical" needs to consider? |
