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Sunday
Matthew 6 v 19 – 21
Keep today’s Bible reading in mind and answer the questions which follow:
1. Why does Jesus tell us to store up “treasures in heaven” (v 20) rather than
“treasures on earth” (v 19)? What does Jesus mean when he says, “For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also”?
2. How do most people you know tend to spend their time, energy, and money?
What do you spend money on most effortlessly and joyfully?
3. How might you go about storing up “treasures in heaven”?
4. One way to ensure that we store up treasures in heaven is to celebrate, reflect on,
and give thanks for our treasures on earth. This is part of what we do on the
Sabbath. In an article called “Bring Back the Sabbath” in The New York Times
Magazine we read,
“There is ample evidence that our relationship to work is out of whack. Let me
argue on behalf of an institution that has kept workaholism in reasonable check for
thousands of years. Most people mistakenly believe that all you have to do to stop
working is not work. The inventors of the Sabbath understood that it was a much
more complicated undertaking. You cannot downshift casually and easily. This is
why the Puritan and Jewish Sabbaths were so exactingly intentional. The rules did
not exist to torture the faithful. Interrupting the ceaseless round of striving requires
a surprisingly strenuous act of will, one that has to be bolstered by habit as well as
by social sanction.”
This quote explains that scheduled rest will not work without a great deal of
intentionality and discipline. Brainstorm the kind of practical habits and useful
practices that can help us observe Sabbath.
Prayer: Thank God that“…there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our
human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry:
‘Mine!’” Ask God to show you ways in which you don’t represent Christ as you
should in your relationships, in your workplace, in your family life, in your habits
and attitudes, and in your relationships within the church. Pray also that you would
be able, again within community, to learn better how to “bring the gospel into your
See You In Church!!
work.”