THE LOST EVNVELOPE

The Lost Envelope

Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:20

READ MATTHEW 6:19–21

We were on the way home from a visit with family in another state when I found it. I was pumping gas when I noticed a dirty, bulky envelope on the ground. I grabbed it, dirt and all, and looked inside. To my surprise, it contained one hundred dollars.

One hundred dollars that someone had lost and who at that very moment was possibly frantically searching to find. I gave our phone number to the attendants at the gas station in case anyone came back looking for it. But no one ever called.

Someone had that money and lost it. Earthly treasure is often like that. It can be lost, stolen, or even squandered. It can be lost in bad investments or even in a monetary market over which we have no control. But the heavenly treasure we have in Jesus—a restored relationship with God and the promise of eternal life—isn’t like that. We can’t lose it at a gas station or anywhere else.

That’s why Christ told us to store up “treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). We do that when we become “rich in good deeds” (1 Timothy 6:18) or “rich in faith” (James 2:5)—lovingly helping others and sharing Jesus with them. As God leads and empowers us, may we store up eternal treasure even as we anticipate our eternal future with Him.

By Dave Branon

REFLECT & PRAY

Dear God, thank You for everything You’ve given us on this earth—our money, our homes, and more. Help us to hold them loosely while seeking to store up more eternal treasures.

What can you do this week that has eternal implications? How can you better use your earthly treasures as investments for heaven’s good?

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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Matthew (or Levi, son of Alphaeus; Mark 2:14)—the tax collector turned disciple of Jesus—is believed to be the writer of the gospel of Matthew. Matthew 6 is part of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), given on a hillside near Capernaum. It begins with Jesus speaking on the spiritual life of the believer in Christ (vv. 1-18) and moves to warnings against love of possessions, anxiety, and judgmental attitudes (v. 19-7:5). The warning about love of money and possessions in today’s passage is a common theme in the Bible. A few examples are the accounts of Achan (Joshua 7:1), the rich young man (Matthew 19:16-22), and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). Alyson Kieda