Day 131/260: Read Matthew 6

Motivations are important, aren’t they? In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks a lot about motivations. In the sixth chapter, He tells His followers that if their motivations are not proper, their reward will be non-existent.

You want to do good by giving to charity? Don’t seek praise for doing it. You want to pray to God? Don’t do it so everyone else can hear you. You want to fast? Don’t make a show of it. If you do these things to glorify God, that’s good; if you do these things to receive the praise of men and to show how holy you are, then that is all you will get out of it. God will not reward you because your motivations are misguided.

A lot of people are motivated by money. Paul warns against the love of money, calling it “a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus warns against making money a priority in one’s life.

Yes, we need money to live, to provide shelter and food for our families, and God approves of such proper use of money. But there is a warning against hoarding riches. Jesus says that we must focus on spiritual treasures rather than earthly treasures, and promises that God will take care of His faithful children.

The bottom line is this: be motivated by God; be motivated by eternity. Don’t worry about the things of this life to the point that you take your eyes off Jesus.

Memory (Read aloud 5-10 times)

Matthew 10:39. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Pray

Pray for a sharper focus on the things of God.