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Theme: Jesus changes our priorities [and us along with them]
What we prioritize says a lot about us. We have family priorities, financial priorities, ministry priorities, life-goal priorities, parenting and marriage priorities; and the list goes on. Let me ask you, what are your discipleship priorities? How are you prioritizing being a disciple and making other disciples of Jesus? How will you invest personally in 2026 in a growing relationship with Jesus and help someone else do the same? It starts with personal devotions, Connect Group, and corporate worship.
One area many Americans struggle with is bad debt resulting from misplaced priorities, valuing having something over having financial peace.
In Matthew 6 Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray, trust God’s provision, live authentically and not with religious pretentiousness, how to defeat pride and exercise humility, and serve others. Giving to the poor, praying, and fasting should not be for praise, but meekly, deflecting glory to God.
In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus modeled how to pray: Address Him as our Father-and make sure to not impose a false idea of father on him based on humans who fail, rather see Him for Who He actually is in Scripture, loving, faithful, and good. Acknowledge He’s King and in charge, longing for His kingdom-not our own to brought about, and expressing a yielded submission to Him and His perfect will. We can ask for provision and share our requests, seek His forgiveness and to have a forgiving manner to others who’ve wronged us, and rest in His providential care and protection against the evil one. Maybe theirs is someone you need to forgive today?
It makes sense that God would provide this foundational teaching on prayer, because it solidifies our souls to not live for the weather and possessions of the here and now, but to lay up treasures in heaven.
A great exercise would be to read through Matthew 6 marking what Jesus commands us to do and not do and maybe share those with the group.
One song you could listen to this week to steer your heart away form earthly fame, praise, accolades, and possession-building and on to heavenly rewards and to stir your affections for Christ is the hymn, “Be Thou My Vision.” So good!
- Possessions (Matt. 6:19-24)
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.”
(vv. 19-20) The words “lay up” and “treasures” are similar words in Greek. In this context the homes were built of plaster mud, and thieves would dig their way through and steal. The things of this age are vulnerable to being plundered and stolen. It makes mores sense-given the fleeting nature of temporal things-to pursue heavenly, eternal treasures by glorifying God, treasures held and protected by God Himself. He’s stronger than any safe or bank vault.
(v. 21) If we change intentionally and by our actions what we invest in, we will in turn change the affections and valuations of our hearts. It starts with obedience.
(vv. 22-23) Lifeway Explore says “Jesus used the eye to illustrate the importance of proper perception. Through this lamp of the body, we observe everything around us. But it’s important that our source of spiritual perception stays healthy (or clear). We maintain proper focus when we see as God sees. Full of light does not suggest that illumination penetrates each body part. Rather, it means that the whole body benefits. By seeing the road, we know where to place our feet. The sight of food enhances or suppresses the appetite and the stomach’s digestion. Every part of the body benefits from healthy eyesight. Conversely, every body part suffers if the eye is bad, either through disease or damage. Jesus likened the result to being full of darkness rather than light. The term for “bad” can also be rendered ‘harmful.’ The issue is not physical well-being, but keeping a spiritually healthy perspective and avoiding spiritual harm. This passage appears in Jesus’s teaching about materialistic values versus spiritual values. In context, Jesus addressed the issue of one’s treasure and its effect on the heart. When the light inside us turns dark, that darkness is great. The Greek wording emphasizes the depth or extent of the darkness.”
(v. 24) We can’t serve the world and serve God, too; there can be no duplicity. We have to be all in when it comes to valuing and glorifying God and dying to the flesh’s desires.
What does your life say you truly value? What does the way you spend. Your time, energy and bank account statement say you value most, God’s kingdom or passing, earthly things?
Encourage adults to call out the things that destroy earthly wealth in these verses. To highlight the danger of storing up improper treasures, share this content from pages 51-52:
Material possessions cannot be carried beyond the grave into the heavenly kingdom. The things that carry over into the kingdom of God include the godly character of the disciple and the souls of people influenced for Christ. As Christ followers use their material resources in this life to meet the physical and spiritual needs of others, they are storing up treasure in heaven. Earthly possessions are to be used for the work of building God’s kingdom.
- 2. Worry (Matt. 6:25-30)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
(v. 25) An anxious life can eb attributed to a life distracted from Jesus. The Greek is a present imperative, meaning this is a crucial commanded moment-by-moment practice. God cares about the physical needs, and understands we have to get up, go to work, worship God in all our activities, but it shouldn’t distract us.
(v. 26) Possibly using a real life illustration and gesturing, pointing out a some birds, Jesus reminds them if God takes care of these birds, certainly he’ll take care of us.
(v. 27) Worry is useless and futile and doesn’t change a thing.
Gospel: God provided His own Son to pay for all our sins on the cross. He will surely provide for our needs. Romans 8:32 speaks to this.
Key Doctrine
Stewardship
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him.
Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
(vv. 28-29) Like God clothes the lilies of the field, he would cover and clothe His own. We don’t have to worry about all that.
The most luxurious king Solomon couldn’t compare to the way God clothes the lilies.
(v. 30) God exercises the same providential care when it comes to the grass, too.
At the end of the day, we need to increase our focus on the faithfulness of our God to have a strengthened faith, not a weak faith.
Discussion: How has God been faithful to you?
- 3. Trust (Matt. 6:31-34)
31 “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
(vv. 31-32) Jesus addreses worry six times in ten verses! Here he emphasizes this point again. What are your worry triggers? Give them to God. We’re children of God, not lost; a general term for lost used commonly was “Gentiles.” We have His Word, his presence, His adoption, his redemption, His forgiveness, His reconciliation. We are to be the most worry-free people in existence. Don’t let materialism steal this from you.
(v. 33) Rather make God’s kingdom and your active part in pursuing that—living SENT-your TOP priority in life. Make verse 33 a prayer this week. Not being overwhelmed by the unknowns of the future, rather living with a. confidence that God guides and oversees every detail of your future (v 34).
Devotional Prayer:
Holy Father,
My heart and mind are weary and utterly exhausted by worry and anxiety about my possessions, my future, my past, my present, my plans, and people in my life. My worry expresses to you that I lack faith and trust in you. Forgive me for seeking my own kingdom; make me seek Yours alone. I believe You will provide for me and enable me to not prioritize the temporary, anxiety-causing things of this world, but to prioritize and prize You and to lay up treasures in Heaven. I love You. Stir my affections for You. Make me go out of my way to give to your work in my time, resources, schedule, money, and relationships. You are worthy. In You I am satisfied and fulfilled. Be glorified in changing me to be worry free and worship filled. In Jesus’ Name Amen.
Caleb Walker 
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