At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Alignment,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.

Last week in our Kingdom Alignment series, we asked a searching question: “What do I truly value?” Jesus taught us that where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. This week He takes us one step further. He moves from the heart to the eyes.

Matthew 6:22–23 (NIV)
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Have you ever noticed that two people can experience exactly the same situation and walk away with completely different conclusions? One notices beauty while another notices only problems. One sees opportunity while another sees obstacles. The circumstances have not changed. The eyes have.

When Jesus spoke about a healthy eye, His listeners would have understood the expression. In Jewish culture, a “healthy” or “good” eye described someone who was generous and saw life through the lens of God’s abundance. An unhealthy or bad eye described someone who was stingy, envious, or constantly afraid there would never be enough. That explains why Jesus places these verses immediately after His teaching on treasure. Treasure shapes vision. What we value determines how we see. We often think our greatest problem is our circumstances, but sometimes the issue is not what is happening around us. It is the lens through which we are viewing it.

It reminds me of cleaning the windows around the house. Living here in the Keys, the salt spray, dust, and summer rain quickly leave a film on the glass. You do not always notice how dirty the windows have become until you clean them. Suddenly everything outside seems brighter, sharper, and more beautiful. The world did not change. The window did. In the same way, Jesus is inviting us to examine the condition of our spiritual vision. Perhaps the greatest change that needs to happen is not around us but within us.

Last week Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Now He tells us that our eyes fill our lives with either light or darkness. These teachings belong together. The heart shapes the eyes, and the eyes shape the life. Whatever captures our hearts begins to shape how we interpret everything around us. If my heart treasures fear, I will begin seeing danger everywhere. If my heart treasures success or status, I will constantly compare myself with others. But if my heart treasures Christ, I will begin recognizing His presence, His provision, and His opportunities in places I may have overlooked before.

This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.

Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.

At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Alignment,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.

Last week in our Kingdom Alignment series we asked the question, “What do you truly hunger for?” We discovered that fasting has a way of revealing what is really ruling our hearts. When we temporarily give up something we enjoy, we often discover what we have been relying on for comfort, security, or satisfaction instead of God. This week, Jesus asks us a different but closely related question: “What do I truly value?”

Matthew 6:19–21 (NIV)
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Every one of us has treasures. Treasure is simply whatever we consider most valuable. It is what captures our attention, our time, our energy, and our resources. It may be money, but it can also be our careers, our reputation, our comfort, our family, our hobbies, our achievements, or even our dreams for the future. None of these things are necessarily wrong. The question is whether they have become the center around which our lives revolve.

Jesus gives us a profound spiritual principle: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” That may surprise us because we often assume our spending and our priorities simply reflect what is already in our hearts. Jesus says it works the other way around. Our hearts gradually become attached to whatever we consistently invest in. Our investments shape our affections.

That is why Jesus reminds us that earthly treasures are temporary. Everything in this world has an expiration date. Possessions wear out. Technology becomes outdated. Investments rise and fall. Homes need repairs. Even our bodies grow older. These things may be blessings from God, but they were never designed to carry the weight of our ultimate hope.

Instead, Jesus invites us to invest in treasures that can never be lost. Every act of love, every expression of generosity, every moment spent serving others, every step of obedience, every word of forgiveness, every opportunity to share the gospel, and every choice to become more like Christ has eternal significance. These are investments that will never decay because they are part of God’s eternal kingdom.

This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.

Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.