Daily Bible Devotional: Commentary on Matthew 6
You can't take it with you!
Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”
I used to run a small business. Along with that business came many tasks – that of designer, marketer, idea-maker and sometimes even the janitor (whoever thinks small business owners got it made are very misinformed) I worked many hours – sometimes 14-16 hours a day. There was always something to do, someone to see, somewhere to go and some task that needed to be done.
During a few years’ time there I would say I became a work-a-holic. Pretty much all I thought about was work and how I could fit in my kids, my husband, my parents and friend’s wherever I could in my “organizer”. Now as I look back at that organizer, it seems pretty ridiculous that my schedule was so busy that I had to write down times to spend with my family.
During the time I owned my business, my father had stage 4 cancer of the lymph nodes. He was a fighter though with a positive attitude, and was not one to wallow in any type of misery. He very rarely asked for anything, but I tried to make sure I spent as much time as I could with my parents. They, knowing how busy I was running a small business, would often come by and visit and even bring us lunch some days. Once in a while we would go out to lunch to our local diner together. All in all, I would suppose most people would say that I spend a decent amount of time with them. Now as I write this though, tears are forming just thinking about how I wish I had just one more of those lunch dates with them. Just to spend one more hour with them…
The old saying that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone is so true.
Where God sometimes "whispers in my ears"
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One day at my business “God whispered in my ear”…
On that particular day, I remember that when my parents came to my shop I was really stressed out and I felt I didn’t have really have the time to "socialize" that day. I was hurrying around like I usually was until God’s audible voice in my ear said to me,“those are your real treasures” (speaking of my parents) I was taken aback but not surprised. God has a way of yelling, whispering and waking up me in the middle of the night. He has found many creative ways to get my attention, I’ll tell you.
I thought about what God said and from that day on those words always stayed with me when I saw my parents. God gently reminded me that material things, busyness and worldly things are not what matters. What matters is loving people and treating them like the true gifts they really are.
Something to think about: Is there someone in your life today that needs you to spend quality time with them?
RIP Alan Joseph Campbell 1923-2003
RIP Mary Doreen McConnell Campbell 1923-2004
Coming soon: My new 365 day devotional
This is just one devotional in a series of 365 devotionals that will one day be a book - both in hard cover and for the Kindle. All the text in this is my own (except of course for the Bible scriptures) I will be using the NIV (New International Version) for most of my reference to scripture. All the photos used will also be my own photography. If you would like to see more of my art and photography you can also visit me at www. dorsidiaz.com where I will also be chronicling this new book, along with my ideas for writing, marketing and creating e-books for aspiring writers. Thank you for reading!
