My family has been coming to terms with the truth of this passage over the past few weeks. To be honest, we have always been a “cluttery” family and have often longed to be free from too much stuff. One of our shared jokes has been that a good house fire would take care of our problems.

A few months ago, my wife noticed two strange things happening to her clothes. First, weird spots were appearing on them, and second, there were small holes in some of them. We couldn’t fathom what was causing the spots, though the closet did sometimes smell musty. And what was up with the holes? We had never even seen a moth.

After discovering black mold in our bathroom, and having it return after attempts at treating it, we began to experience some mysterious health issues that could not be explained by our medical providers. It soon became clear from our own research that we were being affected by toxic mold.

A house fire? Not quite, but close. We have moved into a rental and are making some tough decisions about what we can bring and what we must donate or simply throw away. Our old house will need remediation before it can sell.

Yes, our lives have totally changed. And as we’ve had to give up things we once treasured, we are learning how few of the things of this world we "must have"… and how completely dependent we are on our Father, who always meets our needs.

Heavenly Father, thank you that you are the source of all good things (James 1:17). May we depend on you more and more and may the things of this world have less and less hold on us as the days go by. Thank you for your love and faithfulness. Amen.

Go Deeper — Where is your treasure? What if you had to give up all or most of your possessions tomorrow? What difference would it make? Know that God is the source of all true treasure, and rest in his love and provision today!



Tags: Sermon on the Mount Matthew 6
Photo Credit: Buzz Zhang