“The eye is the lamp of the body.  If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”  Matthew 6:22-23

I remember when I was a boy the anticipation of Christmas morning just about killed me every Christmas Eve night.  I asked for very specific things for Christmas from Santa and from my parents, and I just knew they would be under the tree…if only I could just get to sleep!  As a child I didn’t know what “selfishness” or “narcissism” were, I just knew I needed to get those toys for me…and NOW!  With that said, I don’t think I was abnormal, I was just a child.

Jesus challenges us (his maturing disciples) in a very matter of fact way to not seek or lust after earthly treasures.  It’s easy to connect this lust or greed to money, but the reality is there are a number of other things that can steal our hearts and therefore our lives away into darkness. If our eyes and our minds become fixed on getting certain things, then our insides will be filled with darkness. 

Does this mean we shouldn’t accumulate any possessions on earth?  I don’t think so, I think it goes deeper than that.  I think Jesus challenges us to be sure our hearts are not at all devoted to the things of this world, so much so that if and when those things are completely stripped away we will still find ourselves loyal to him.  It’s all about our perspective.  God is our master, not stuff.  If stuff is your master, then get rid of it!