28 Jun
2026

Where Is Your Treasure?

Passage: James 5:1-6 & Matthew 6:19-24

REFLECTION QUOTES

“God has not appointed gold for rust, nor garments for moths; but on the contrary, he has designed them as aids and helps to human life.” —John Calvin

“Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”  —Proverbs 30:7-9

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 

When you were a child, what did you treasure? How has your “treasure” changed from when you were a child to today? Why?

Read James 5:1-6 and Matthew 6:19-24. What do these passages show you about God’s character and about being his follower? What challenges, encourages, or sparks questions for you in these passages?

In this section, James is addressing wealthy people who are not followers of Jesus, but rich landowners hoarding their wealth and oppressing others to get more. What is the impact or fruit of this way of living? What description words does James use and why do you think he uses the images he does here?
Money is not inherently the problem here, what is James warning concerning wealth?
Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” In what ways does wealth entice us to treasure it? What does wealth appear to promise that speaks to our hearts’ longings?
James is concerned here with how money is gained. In verse 4, James is addressing the profit of oppression. How can we be people of mercy and justice in how we make money?
James is also concerned with how God’s people use their money. How have you seen money used for good, in ways that preserve and encourage life? Consider this question from a church community level as well as a personal level.
Consider Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” How might Jesus’s generosity toward us encourage us to reflect his generosity in our making and using of money?
What from this passage and this discussion is something you want to put into practice or be more aware of this week or praise God for?

 

PRAYER

Share with your group how they can be praying for you: what is weighing on you from this past week? What are you praising God for from this past week?

Philippians 4: 4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”