Tag: Things

The Earthly And The Heavenly

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Jonathan Cahnby Jonathan Cahn

Eretz, the Hebrew word for earth, is singular. But shamayim, the Hebrew word for heaven, is plural. In Hebrew, when a word that should be singular is rendered plural, it often indicates an intensity; like an exclamation point. It’s something to get excited about.

The word for earth has no exclamation point. Thus when you’re dealing with earthly things, don’t get too excited over them. Don’t treat the things of the world as the end of everything. Don’t store up your treasures here. Don’t get too attached and make idols. Don’t let your mind get all bent out of shape; panic, go crazy, or get depressed over it. It’s just eretz. But the things of heaven are different, they have an exclamation point. You should get excited about heaven and the things of the Spirit. Get excited about the things of God: His love, joy, wonders, purity, peace, and His mysteries. Then you’ll have true peace and joy, and everything will be alright. Because that’s the way it’s meant to be. The earth, eretz, is only singular. But heaven, shamayim, is always more. And that’s something to get excited about.

Today’s Mission – Today, get excited about the heavenly things of God and keep calm about the things of earth.

by Jonathan Cahn

A Society of Things

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John MacArthurby John MacArthur

“‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’” (Matthew 6:21).

In wealthy countries, where the focus is on material things, believers must strive for the right perspective on possessions.

Today’s text answers the simple but age-old question, Where is your heart? When our Lord answers the question, it is clear He is referring to all of life’s major preoccupations and investments—anything that receives most of our thinking, planning, and expenditure of energy.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had their hearts in the wrong places. Among their many other sins, the Pharisees were thing-oriented—covetous, greedy, avaricious, and manipulative. Matthew 6:21 is right in the middle of a portion of the Sermon on the Mount that deals with the Pharisees’ misplaced priorities regarding material possessions. The verse fits with Christ’s overall purpose in the Sermon, which was to affirm His standard of righteous living in contrast to the Pharisees’ inferior, hypocritical standard (Matt. 5:20).

Matthew 6:19-24 tells us how believers should view their luxuries and wealth. Most of us live in cultures that constantly challenge us with their emphases on materialism. We all spend some time thinking about those things, whether it be a house, a car, furniture, investment portfolios, computers, our wardrobes, or whatever. And many people become slaves to consumerism and greed. Therefore we need to deal with these issues and have a biblical viewpoint concerning the many material comforts we have.

Above all, if we want the same perspective on wealth that Jesus had, our view must far exceed that of the Pharisees with their proud, earthbound viewpoint. They were focusing all of their time and devotion on selfishly laying up worldly treasures. Theirs is not the godly standard of those who want to exemplify Christ in the midst of a materialistic society.

by John MacArthur