When we talk about values it can sound noble: “I value God. I value my family. I value people.” These words are important—they name our hopes and convictions—but words alone don’t prove a thing. Jesus gives us a simple, searching measure of what we truly value—it’s what we treasure. Matthew 6:21 tells us: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
That term treasure doesn’t just refer to things of monetary value; treasure is time, attention, and energy. It’s the things we allow to take first place in our schedules—and our hearts reveal what we really treasure. If we say we value our relationship with the Lord but most of our time and attention is spent scrolling, chasing approval, or escaping real connection, then our pattern of life is telling a different story than our words.
Jesus’ conversation with Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38–42) is a helpful picture. Martha says she is serving Jesus, but she is distracted with many tasks; Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, giving him her attention. Both words and work matter, but Jesus points to the posture of the heart—to where our attention and affection are given. The rich young ruler (Mark 10:17–22) offers another sobering example: he sincerely wanted eternal life, yet when Jesus asked him to give up his greatest treasure, it says he walked away sad. Wanting something and valuing something are not always the same thing. Truely valuing something shows up in sacrifice, in habit, and in the choices we make when no one’s watching.
Our phones now have the ability to show us a daily breakdown of our screen time and where our hours go. What if we could run a report like that for our hearts? What would it show? Would God be in the top ten? Would family time show up as a priority, or have they been replaced by the endless scroll?
This devotional isn’t meant to shame us—it’s meant to challenge us to take a step back and look at what we’re actually giving value to. Grace meets us where we are; it doesn’t deny the struggle of distraction or the draw of convenience. But grace also calls us to respond. If Jesus is truly our treasure, then we’ll seek to make room to be with Him—with a brief morning prayer, time in His Word, Sabbath rest, and putting business aside at times so our family knows they matter more than a text or email or the latest social media post.
I don’t know about you, but I have seasons when the “important” things crowd out the “eternal” things without me even noticing. Over this past year, I’ve had to step back and ask hard questions: What habit is stealing my attention? What am I defending with the word “busy”? Where could I trim to give sacrificially of my time to the Lord and those I love? Faithful change often begins with small, consistent rhythms—a ten-minute morning devotion that becomes fifteen a month later; a weekly family meal with devices set aside; one hour each Sunday to sit and listen to God without a to-do list whispering in the corner.
Scripture urges us toward this kind of re-ordering. Matthew 6:33 reminds us to seek first the kingdom of God and, in Colossians 3:2, Paul tells us to set our minds on things above. These verses don’t condemn honest busyness (work is a gift), but they do call us to align our daily habits with the priorities of heaven. When our actions and schedules reflect God’s reign, our words stop being mere statements and become testimony.
Here’s a simple challenge for each of us this week—let’s take an honest look at what’s really getting our time and energy. What habits or distractions are consuming our time and failing to feed our souls or strengthen our relationships with others? Then, let’s try to replace those things with small, intentional changes that reveal what we truly treasure and invite God to reshape our desires.
Lord, forgive us for the things we say we value but do not show. Help us to be people whose time, attention, and energy reflect the treasure of Your presence. Give us the courage to let go of lesser comforts and the wisdom to build habits that honor you and the people you’ve placed around us. Help us be people who truly live our values out. In Jesus name—Amen
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