Matthew 6:5-24

Matthew 6:5-24 (New International Version)

  ⁵"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you thetruth, they have received their reward in full. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

 ⁹"This, then, is how you should pray: 
   " 'Our Father in heaven, 
   hallowed be your name, 
 ¹⁰your kingdom come, 
   your will be done 
      on earth as it is in heaven. 
 ¹¹Give us today our daily bread. 
 ¹²Forgive us our debts, 
      as we also have forgiven our debtors. 
 ¹³And lead us not into temptation, 
   but deliver us from the evil one.' ¹⁴For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

 ¹⁶"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

 ¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 ²²"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

 ²⁴"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Devotional (by Isaac Pellerin)
In a world where we're told that we need the "latest and greatest", it can be hard to understand what it means to store up treasures in heaven. In the verses leading up to verse 19, Jesus talks about forgiveness, giving to those in need, and loving those who hate you.

Have you ever seen a relationship that was torn apart be restored? That's something to treasure. Or have you seen someone give generously out of compassion? That's something to treasure. Or have you ever taken a few moments to be still and think about how great God's love must be to have love and grace so great that it would cover all the ways I mess up? Those are moments to treasure.

When we're actively looking for ways to align ourselves with Jesus' teachings we find that it causes us to put down our own selfish tendencies, look outside of ourselves, and find treasure that is more valuable than anything money could buy.

Prayer
Dear God, help me to see the world the way that you do, unselfishly. Protect me from being drawn away by my own selfishness so that I can discover true riches. In Jesus name. Amen.