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Bible Reading Plan

Reading Plan: Matthew 6:19-34

Treasures in Heaven

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Do Not Worry

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Daily Devotional: Do You See Me?

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”

Luke 4:22-24

During our engagement, my then fiancé and I attended Willow Creek’s pre-marital classes. One evening, the guest speakers were a couple who had been married for over forty years. Their message was simple, and I felt it deeply. They spoke honestly about the many seasons they had lived through together—newly married life, raising children, career changes, empty nesting, and now, retirement.

What struck me most was when the wife shared that not only had each season brought new challenges, but also new versions of themselves. The reason their marriage endured, she shared, was not resistance to change, but a shared willingness to accept it—and, more than that, to encourage it in one another.

Her husband agreed emphatically. He added that he, too, was no longer the same man his wife had married. But instead of mourning that fact, he celebrated it. What he loved most about their relationship was the way they had continued to evolve—out of love for each other and out of faithfulness to who they were becoming. He added that he had been resistant to change, but realized it created distance between them. So he became curious about each new version of his wife and himself. They were partners in life, and each was committed to understanding the ever-evolving other. 

We see a contrast in today’s scripture. Jesus is back in his hometown after traveling and spreading God’s word. The people of Nazareth who saw him grow up, questioned him. Isn’t this Joseph’s son? They knew a past version of Him, which made this current version seem unbelievable. Could the son of Joseph, a boy from Nazareth, really be the messiah? Instead of leading with understanding, they wanted proof that they should trust him. In response, He didn’t argue, He didn’t perform, conform, or shame them. He simply explains He understands his neighbors want Him to perform, but He won’t do this. Jesus accepted their misunderstanding of Him and walked away. Not out of spite or anger, but out of love and understanding that His identity as messiah is difficult for them to comprehend. 

Perhaps the question this passage leaves us with is not whether Jesus has proven Himself enough, but whether we are willing to be curious about who He is becoming to us now. Like the couple who learned to love each new version of one another, faith may begin not with certainty, but with openness—and the humility to release the versions we think we already know.

Next Steps

What versions of Jesus have you carried with you? Which ones feel safe, and which feel threatening or uncomfortable? Are there parts of His story you’ve leaned into—and parts you’ve learned to avoid because of past hurt?