Do We Seek Possessions, Or Are We Being Possessed?
Good Morning Friends,
In today’s Scriptures Jesus directs us away from treasuring earthly wealth, things that fade, rust, or can be taken, and toward treasuring the life of the Kingdom, which endures now and forever. If we are not going to be controlled by our chattels, we must resist treasuring worldly things over life itself and persist in treasuring spiritual things that enhance life. Our Old Testament reading shows us how fragile hope can look in human history. Markets rise and fall, nations rage, and the world feels unstable. So we ask: Do we seek possessions, or are we being possessed?
Scripture in Context
2 Kings 11:1–4, 9–18, 20
Athaliah seizes the throne and tries to destroy David’s entire royal line. Her grasping for power reveals a heart possessed by the wrong treasure. Yet behind the chaos, God quietly preserves one child, Joash, hidden in the temple for six years. At the right moment, the priest Jehoiada reveals him, renews the covenant, destroys Baal’s temple, and restores peace. Hope hangs by a thread, but God’s sovereignty does not. The false kingdom grasps for control; the true Kingdom preserves life.
Matthew 6:19–23
Jesus warns that earthly treasures decay and enslave the heart. Whatever we treasure most becomes our master. If our inner focus is fixed on earthly wealth, our whole being becomes filled with darkness. But if our eyes are fixed on the Kingdom, our whole being fills with light. Jesus is not trying to take treasure from us; He is trying to free us from the treasures that take us.
Message: When we place these Scriptures together, a pattern emerges. Athaliah shows us what it looks like when a person is possessed by the wrong treasure. Power owns her. Fear drives her. Her “kingdom” demands sacrifice, even the lives of children. False treasures always do this. They promise security but hollow us out. Jesus exposes the same dynamic in our own hearts. Earthly treasures, wealth, beauty, status, control, promise life but quietly enslave us. They shrink our vision, darken our hearts, and distract us from the life God gives. But the Kingdom’s treasure enlarges the soul. It produces love, patience, generosity, service, and trust. It frees us to live with open hands. The question is not simply What do we treasure? The deeper question is What is shaping us? What kingdom is forming our desires, our fears, our decisions? If we place our ordinary life, our work, errands, conversations, and choices, before God as an offering, we discover that the real treasure is God’s presence. But if we chase the wrong things, they begin to own us. Only the treasure God gives can free the heart.
And So, we are invited to stop treasuring kingdoms that crumble and to invest ourselves in the Kingdom that cannot be shaken. Jesus shows us what it means to be fully human and fully aligned with God’s will. In Him we learn to submit, to trust, and to live with a hope that does not depend on circumstances. God is sovereign even when human wickedness seems to prevail. The promise still stands. The true King still reigns. The real treasure is still offered.
Pray we see the emptiness of wealth’s false promises. Pray we thirst for the love of God, the only love that satisfies. Pray we shine as light for those seeking the Kingdom. Pray our hearts are freed from vanity, pride, and the hunger for more. Pray our covenant is with Christ, not cash. Pray the treasure in these jars of clay shines with God’s glory. Pray God turns our treason into treasure. Pray we store up treasure in the right places. Pray our lives overflow with joy, peace, patience, and love. Pray we trust God’s sovereignty even when the world looks dark. Pray we carefully consider where our treasure truly resides.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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