Goals for a Good Life; May 17, 2026; FBCBORO

Devotional

Day 1: Treasures Beyond Moths and Thieves

Jesus sat on the mountainside teaching crowds about true wealth. “Don’t store up treasures on earth,” He said, describing moths devouring fine robes and thieves breaking through clay walls. His voice carried urgency as He pointed upward: “Store treasures in heaven.” He linked hearts to pursuits—where we invest, our affections follow. [37:23]

Earthly treasures demand constant protection but offer no eternal security. Jesus exposed the folly of clinging to temporary comforts while neglecting soul investments. Every act of generosity, every gospel conversation, every child taught Scripture becomes unshakable wealth in God’s economy.

You face choices daily: comfort or kingdom, accumulation or abandonment. What earthly treasure have you polished this week that moths could eat tomorrow? Identify one possession, habit, or pursuit draining your heavenly account. Replace it with a deliberate investment in eternity. What closet in your life needs heavenly reorganization?

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
(Matthew 6:19-21, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one earthly treasure you’ve prioritized above His kingdom.
Challenge: Write down one material possession you’ll repurpose today for eternal impact—donate clothes, redirect funds, or gift a Bible.

Day 2: Eyes Full of Kingdom Light

Jesus gripped His disciples’ attention with a startling image: “The eye is the lamp of the body.” A healthy eye floods the body with light; a diseased eye plunges it into darkness. He warned against double vision—trying to gaze at God and worldly glories simultaneously. [44:41]

Light demands action. Just as the first creation command was “Let there be light,” Jesus calls His followers to illuminate dark spaces. Compromise dims our witness; clarity amplifies it. When we fix our gaze on Christ’s priorities, our entire lives radiate His countercultural truth.

Your workplace, family, and social circles contain shadows only your light can dispel. Where have you muted your witness to blend in? Choose one conversation today to voice biblical truth with grace—even if your voice shakes. What darkness have you tolerated that Christ calls you to confront?

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.”
(Luke 11:34, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one area where you’ve preferred cultural approval over Christ’s light.
Challenge: Share one Scripture verse today with someone in a morally gray situation.

Day 3: The Unbreakable Master Chain

Jesus shattered illusions of divided loyalty: “No one can serve two masters.” The Greek word for “serve” here means slavery—total ownership. Mammon (wealth) demands fealty through anxiety, greed, and self-sufficiency. God requires undivided trust. There’s no middle throne. [50:29]

Financial stewardship tests discipleship. Jesus didn’t condemn wealth but exposed its power to enslave. John Piper’s razor applies: either money fuels God’s purposes, or it fuels rebellion. Bank statements reveal worship patterns—emergency funds often become idols, while generous giving breaks chains.

Open your banking app. Do your spending patterns reflect captivity to comfort or freedom in Christ? Choose one financial practice to surrender—increase giving, cancel a luxury subscription, or fund a mission. What dollar amount have you withheld from God’s work that He’s asking you to release?

“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.”
(Matthew 6:24, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for three provisions He’s given, then surrender one financial fear to Him.
Challenge: Adjust your budget today to increase giving by 1% or donate an hour’s wage.

Day 4: Three Paths and a Praying Church

Jeremiah received God’s promise during Jerusalem’s siege: “Call to Me, and I will answer.” Centuries later, a church facing facility decisions echoed this cry. They distributed prayer booklets titled “Three Paths, One Mission,” committing to collective discernment over majority votes. [15:28]

God honors churches that seek His glory over human preferences. Like the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, spiritual decisions require prayerful unity, not political campaigns. When believers kneel together, God aligns hearts to His blueprint—even if it disrupts personal agendas.

Are you praying for your church’s future or critiquing its present? Join a small group this week to intercede for leaders and ministries. If isolated, form a trio to pray through the “Three Paths” model. What personal preference are you clinging to that might hinder communal discernment?

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
(Jeremiah 33:3, ESV)

Prayer: Intercede for your church leaders by name, asking God to unite them in vision.
Challenge: Text two church members today to start a 10-minute prayer call this week.

Day 5: Foundations Outlasting Pharaohs

Jesus concluded His sermon by contrasting two builders—one on sand, one on rock. The wise man dug deep, anchoring his house to unshakable stone. First Baptist’s 1882 founders did likewise, laying Christ as the cornerstone. Now, 140 years later, their legacy demands faithful continuation. [19:22]

Eternal foundations require daily maintenance. Vacation Bible School volunteers, mission trip participants, and parents teaching bedtime prayers all mortar Christ into the next generation’s foundation. Your obedience today becomes someone else’s spiritual inheritance tomorrow.

What legacy layer are you laying? Mentor a new believer, share your testimony with a grandchild, or serve in children’s ministry. If you’re retired, your prayers and wisdom are vital bricks. What kingdom work feels small now that eternity will magnify?

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
(Matthew 6:33, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for three spiritual ancestors who built foundations you now enjoy.
Challenge: Write a one-sentence legacy statement about the faith you want to leave.

Sermon Summary

The Lord’s call in Jeremiah 33:3 frames the whole moment as a spiritual decision: “Call to me, and I will answer you.” That promise sets the tone for discerning direction and for receiving a way of life that actually counts. Matthew 6 then lays out what that good life is. Jesus names it plainly: a good life is a godly life. Matthew 6:19 to 24 presses the issue by drawing a line between two pursuits, two visions, and two masters.

The image of treasure exposes the first choice. Jesus forbids stockpiling what moth, rust, and thieves will take, and commands an ongoing pattern of laying up treasure in heaven. His logic turns a common assumption upside down: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The heart does not pull treasure along; treasure pulls the heart along. So eternal investments in God’s kingdom become the practical way a disciple steers the affections toward God. Vacation Bible School, mission giving, gospel witness, and raising children in the Lord are named as concrete ways heaven’s account grows. Jesus’ grammar implies constancy. Kingdom investment must be intentional, continual, and sacrificial, not a one-time nod or a leftover afterthought.

The lamp-and-eye picture sharpens the second choice. If the eye is healthy, the whole person fills with light; if the eye is bad, darkness takes over. Scripture’s story makes the contrast unmistakable: God speaks light into chaos; the prophets promise a great light; Jesus announces, “I am the light of the world”; his people are told to walk as children of light. The church is therefore called to stand in light right where darkness feels thickest, bearing public witness in personal holiness, in moral clarity about the body and sexuality, in the sanctity of every human life, in rejecting racism and partiality, and in civic stewardship that aligns with God’s truth.

The word mammon seals the third choice. Jesus does not allow a split allegiance. “You cannot serve God and mammon.” Wealth itself is not condemned; the love of wealth enslaves. Either money becomes the master that pushes God to the margins, or God becomes the Master who turns money into a servant of the kingdom. The human heart will be mastered by one or the other. The question is not whether resources are present, but whether resources have taken the throne. Matthew 6 calls the church to choose God, to deploy every dollar as leverage for the gospel, and to let that choice mark the whole of life as godly and therefore good.

Key Takeaways

1. Choose heavenly treasure over earth. Eternal investments reshape desire and direction. When treasure goes to God’s kingdom, the heart follows hard after God. Real gain is measured by what cannot be taken, not by what can be tallied. Intentional, continual, sacrificial giving becomes the steering wheel of the soul. [37:23]
2. The heart follows the treasure. Desire does not lead spending; spending leads desire. Jesus overturns the easy slogan and locates the heart downstream from repeated investments. Redirected treasure becomes spiritual formation in slow motion, training affections to love what lasts. [40:09]
3. Walk in light, not darkness. Light is God’s first word and Christ’s public identity; it is also the church’s calling card. In an age where darkness seems to intensify, holiness, moral clarity, and neighbor-love shine with greater contrast. The thick night only makes faithful witness easier to see. [44:41]
4. Serve God, not mammon. Allegiance cannot be split without the soul being split. Money is a fine servant but a cruel master; it grows quiet when God is enthroned and grows loud when God is sidelined. Mastery is inevitable, so worship must be deliberate. [48:55]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[13:43] - Ten Weeks of Prayer kickoff
[15:28] - Three Paths, One Mission booklet
[17:47] - Call for prayerful discernment
[19:45] - Text introduction: Matthew 6:19-24
[33:25] - Goals for a good life
[37:23] - Goal 1: Heavenly over earthly treasure
[41:39] - How to invest in heaven
[42:48] - Goal 2: Pursue light over darkness
[45:47] - Light in dark places
[48:32] - Goal 3: Serve God over money
[50:05] - Mastered by God or mammon
[53:15] - Prayer and dedication
[66:26] - Invitation to respond
[69:14] - Closing congratulations and prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 6:19-24 (ESV)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 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! 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.”

Observation Questions

What two contrasting “treasures” does Jesus command His followers to prioritize, and what reasons does He give for this choice?
How does Jesus use the metaphor of the “eye” and “light” to illustrate the consequences of spiritual focus?
What specific examples of “laying up treasures in heaven” were mentioned in the sermon? [40:56]
According to the sermon, why is it impossible to serve both God and money? [48:55]

Interpretation Questions

Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” How does this reverse common assumptions about desire and action? What does this reveal about how spiritual priorities shape our lives?
The sermon argues that “light shines brightest in thick darkness.” How does Scripture’s broader theme of light (e.g., Genesis 1, Isaiah 9:2, John 8:12) clarify what it means to “walk in light” today?
Why does Jesus use such absolute language (“you cannot serve God and money”)? How does this challenge modern attempts to balance faith with materialism?
The sermon claims that “spending leads desire” rather than the other way around. How does this idea reframe the purpose of intentional giving or service? [40:09]

Application Questions

What does your current spending (time, money, energy) reveal about where your “treasure” truly lies? Name one practical adjustment you could make to invest more intentionally in eternal things.
The sermon mentions standing for light in areas like moral clarity, racial justice, and family values. Where is one specific area in your community, workplace, or relationships where God might be calling you to “shine” with gospel courage?
How do you discern whether money is your servant or your master? What habits or heart-check questions could help you ensure wealth stays in its proper place? [50:29]
The sermon describes eternal investments as “sacrificial, continual, and intentional.” What is one ongoing commitment (e.g., giving, serving, mentoring) you could prioritize this month to align with this pattern? [41:39]
Jesus says a “healthy eye” fills the whole body with light. What practices (e.g., Scripture, accountability, repentance) help keep your spiritual vision clear in a culture that normalizes compromise?

Sermon Clips

31s

“Treasure doesn't follow the heart. The heart follows the treasure. So Jesus says, lay up heavenly treasures, and your heart will chase the things of God. Earthly treasures are temporary. They're shiny. They're passing. But heavenly treasures are eternal. Heavenly treasures are those investments in God's kingdom that spread the gospel and change not only this world, but they change the next world. When you teach children in Vacation Bible School, you're storing up treasures in heaven.”

35s

“Now this is the part of the program where I quit preaching and go to meddling. They'll start meddling at people's business. But notice what Jesus said. Verse 24. No one can serve two masters. Hell, either hate the one and love the other. Loyal to one, despise the other. You cannot you see how definitive that is? You cannot serve God and mammon. Now that's not according to me. That's according to the Lord Jesus. You just can't do it.”

32s

“But you know what? What better place is there for light to shine than in the midst of darkness? When you light a candle in the brightness of the sun, they won't make much of difference. But you get in a darkened room, you light that candle, what better place? Your your your office may be a dark place. Your friend group may be a dark place. Your family may be a dark place. What better place to shine than in a darkened place?”

37s

“When you go on a mission trip and you tell people about Jesus and it stretches you out of your comfort zone, you're laying up treasures in heaven. When you raise your children in the teaching and instruction of the Lord, you're laying up treasures in heaven. When you give generously to missions offerings and through your church and to support global missions, you are laying up treasures in heaven. When you share your faith with someone and you help that person come to faith in Jesus, you are laying up treasures in heaven where neither raw or moth or rust destroy, and thieves will never break in and steal.”

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First Baptist Church Statesboro This sermon · AI assistant

What treasures should Christians pursue and why?

How does treasure reveal the condition of the heart?

Can Christians serve both God and mammon?