FOLLOW THE TREASURE
A 6-Day Devotional
Before the Father Series
Matthew 6:19–24
New Direction Church
BIG IDEA: Your Heart Follows Your Treasure.
THIS WEEK’S ACTION: Move One Treasure On Purpose.
DAY 1: CHECK THE RECEIPTS
READ
Matthew 6:21 (NLT)
“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
REFLECT
If somebody asked, “What matters most to you?” you probably already know the right answers.
God. Family. Faith. Purpose. People.
But Jesus gives us another way to answer the question. Instead of listening to what we say matters, He tells us to look at where our treasure goes.
Your bank app tells a story.
Your calendar tells a story.
Your screen-time report tells a story.
They reveal where your money, time, and attention are actually going.
Jesus says, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Notice the order. He does not say your treasure follows your heart. He says your heart follows your treasure.
That means your heart is being shaped every day by what you repeatedly invest in.
Every purchase.
Every hour.
Every click.
Every sacrifice.
Every act of generosity.
None of these things are spiritually neutral. They are training your heart to value something.
KEY THOUGHT: Your heart is a follower. Send your treasure somewhere, and your heart will follow it there.
THINK ABOUT IT
If someone only saw your spending, schedule, and screen time from the last seven days, what would they conclude matters most to you?
PRAY
Father, show me where my treasure is really going. Give me the courage to look honestly at how I use my money, time, and attention. I don't want to simply say that You are first. I want the way I live to show it. Direct my treasure so that my heart follows You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
TODAY
Look at your bank activity, calendar, and screen-time report from the last seven days. Don't condemn yourself. Just pay attention.
Your heart follows your treasure.
DAY 2: EARTH IS A BAD VAULT
READ
Matthew 6:19–20 (NLT)
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”
REFLECT
Jesus does not say you cannot own anything.
He asks where you are storing what matters most.
In Jesus' day, wealth could be stored in expensive clothing, precious metals, property, and other possessions. But Jesus points out the weakness of every earthly vault.
Moths eat.
Rust destroys.
Thieves steal.
Today the list looks different, but the truth hasn't changed.
Inflation happens. Markets fall. Cars depreciate. Technology becomes obsolete. Jobs disappear. Unexpected bills arrive. Accounts get hacked. Things break.
Every earthly treasure has a life expectancy.
That doesn't make possessions evil. It makes them temporary.
The problem begins when we ask temporary things to give us permanent security.
We tell ourselves, “Once I make enough, save enough, own enough, or accomplish enough, then I'll finally be secure.”
But the number keeps moving.
Jesus offers something better. He tells us to invest in what cannot be taken from us. Generosity. People. Obedience. Gospel work. Kingdom impact.
This is not how we earn heaven. Salvation is God's gift through Christ. This is how people who belong to Christ invest what God has entrusted to them.
KEY THOUGHT: Whatever you can lose was never safe enough to give your heart to.
THINK ABOUT IT
What temporary thing are you depending on to make you feel secure?
PRAY
Father, thank You for everything You have entrusted to me. Keep me from turning Your gifts into my security. Teach me to hold temporary things loosely and invest deeply in what lasts forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.
TODAY
Identify one earthly treasure you've been gripping too tightly. Simply name it before God.
Your heart follows your treasure.
DAY 3: MOVE THE TREASURE
READ
Luke 12:33–34 (NLT)
“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
REFLECT
Sometimes we wait for our hearts to change before our behavior changes.
“I'll give when I feel more generous.”
“I'll serve when I feel more committed.”
“I'll spend time with God when I feel more spiritual.”
But Jesus teaches something surprisingly practical.
Move the treasure, and the heart follows.
Think about how this already works in everyday life. When you invest money into something, you suddenly pay more attention to it. When you give your time to something, it becomes more important to you. Investment creates interest.
The same thing happens spiritually.
You may be waiting to feel more committed to God's work when God may be calling you to put something there first.
Give.
Serve.
Invest.
Sacrifice.
Then watch what happens inside you.
You cannot always command your feelings, but you can decide where your treasure goes.
That is both challenging and freeing.
You don't have to wait for your heart to become perfectly generous before practicing generosity.
KEY THOUGHT: You can move your treasure, and your heart will come along.
THINK ABOUT IT
Where do you want your heart to become more invested in God's Kingdom?
PRAY
Father, I don't want to wait until I feel differently before I obey You. Help me put my treasure where I want my heart to go. Make me generous with what You have entrusted to me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
TODAY
Decide what treasure you are going to move before the end of this week. Choose something specific.
Don't just say, “I need to give more.”
Name the amount. Name the hour. Name the resource.
Move one treasure on purpose.
DAY 4: CHECK YOUR VISION
READ
Matthew 6:22–23 (NLT)
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness.”
REFLECT
At first, these verses can sound like Jesus suddenly changed the subject.
He didn't.
He moves from treasure to vision because the way we see what we have reveals what is happening in our hearts.
An unhealthy eye sees someone else's blessing and becomes jealous.
A healthy eye can celebrate.
An unhealthy eye receives more and immediately asks, “What else can I buy?”
A healthy eye can ask, “How can God use what He has given me?”
An unhealthy eye sees someone in need and only calculates what helping might cost.
A healthy eye can see the person before the price.
Jesus gives an especially serious warning: “If the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”
The dangerous part of spiritual blindness is that we may not know we're blind.
We can call greed “ambition.”
We can call selfishness “protecting what's mine.”
We can call fear “financial wisdom.”
We can call a clenched fist “being responsible.”
There is nothing wrong with planning, saving, or being financially responsible. But good stewardship and fear-driven hoarding are not the same thing.
Sometimes we need someone else who loves us enough to help us see the difference.
KEY THOUGHT: The scariest darkness is the one you mistake for daylight.
THINK ABOUT IT
Who in your life is allowed to tell you the truth about your relationship with money?
PRAY
Father, give me healthy spiritual vision. Show me where fear, envy, greed, or selfishness has distorted the way I see what You've given me. Make me open-handed, generous, and focused on Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.
TODAY
Pay attention to your reaction when someone else receives something you want. Instead of comparing, thank God for what He has done for them.
Your heart follows your treasure.
DAY 5: WHO WINS THE CONFLICT?
READ
Matthew 6:24 (NLT)
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
REFLECT
Jesus doesn't say money is evil.
He says money makes a terrible master.
There is a difference between having money and money having you.
Jesus says we cannot serve two masters because eventually their demands will collide. And when they do, one will win.
That's when you discover who your master really is.
When generosity and comfort conflict, who wins?
When obedience and financial opportunity conflict, who wins?
When God's priorities interfere with your plans, who wins?
We often determine our master by what we say.
Jesus tells us to watch what happens when loyalties collide.
Money is useful. It can feed your family, bless somebody in need, support ministry, create opportunities, build businesses, and accomplish tremendous good.
Money makes a fine servant.
It just cannot be your owner.
Because once money becomes master, enough never feels like enough.
Jesus offers freedom from that slavery.
You can possess money without money possessing you.
KEY THOUGHT: You will know your master by who wins when the two collide.
THINK ABOUT IT
Think about your last major decision involving money. What had the strongest voice in that decision?
PRAY
Father, everything I have belongs to You. Money is not my master. Comfort is not my master. Security is not my master. Jesus is Lord. Teach me to use what You've given me without allowing it to own me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
TODAY
Before you spend money today, pause and pray one sentence:
“Father, You are the owner. I am the steward.”
DAY 6: CHRIST IS THE BETTER TREASURE
READ
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NLT)
“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.”
ALSO READ
Matthew 13:44 (NLT)
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and