Daily Devotions

The Contented Life – Matthew 6:19–24

Jesus’ words about contentment are beautifully summed up in this part of the Sermon on the Mount. He teaches us not to store up treasures on earth—because everything here eventually fades, rusts, or gets stolen. Instead, He points us toward treasures in heaven, things that cannot perish or be taken away. He reminds us that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Then Jesus shifts the image: “The eye is the lamp of the body.” In other words, what we choose to look at, value, and focus on determines the direction of our whole lives. If our eye is healthy—set on God and His kingdom—our whole life is filled with light. But if our vision is clouded—fixed on self, wealth, or temporary pleasures—darkness settles in.

It makes me wonder: is contentment really in the eye of the beholder? Or perhaps more truly—contentment lies in where our eyes are focused.

Think of a pair of binoculars. They don’t create something new, but they bring into sharper focus what was already there. Without them, we might see only a blur on the horizon; with them, we can bring the distant into view, centre on it, and make it larger in our sight.

Jesus calls us to use the "binoculars of faith"—to bring God’s kingdom into focus. He challenges us: What are you really looking at? What has your attention? Is it possessions and status, or is it God’s presence, goodness, and blessing?

A contented life is not about having more things, but about having a clearer focus. A healthy eye sees God at work in our circumstances, and responds with gratitude and compassion.

Prayer

Lord God,
Teach me to see as You see.
Keep me from being distracted by treasures that fade,
and help me to treasure what lasts forever.
Sharpen my focus on Your kingdom,
so that I may live with gratitude, generosity, and light.
Amen.