Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but rather lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.Jesus is telling us to get our priorities straight and understand what is most important in life. He points out that laying up physical riches does not provide lasting wealth. There is no security in such wealth. Even if you can hold it, you'll only surrender it all at death. It has no enduring value. Treasure laid up in heaven, however, has eternal value. No one can take it from you. Not even death can rob you of that wealth. Those are the true riches.
-- Matthew 6:19-20
Is Jesus teaching that by our good works, we are making deposits in some "eternal bank account"? Not at all. I think He is teaching a lesson about human nature. Your treasure is where your heart is. Your treasure is where your passion is. We "lay up" treasure in heaven by placing our hopes, our dreams, our efforts, our love, our trust in our relationship with God.
I fear that sometimes the way we live indicates we are trying to have two hoards -- one here and one in heaven. You can't do it. "No man can serve two masters. He will either hate the one and love the other or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches" (Matthew 6:24). You can't give your whole heart to two different masters.
Where is your treasure? The best way to answer that question is to ask "where is your passion?" What do you love to do? What motivates you? How do you spend your time? What are the most important factors you consider when making decisions about how you will live, where you will live, what you will do with your life?
Is my passion my job? Is it money? I understand that we all spend time doing necessary things. We have to earn a living for ourselves and our families. But often our jobs go way beyond that. Am I laying up treasure on this earth through my career? Do I derive my sense of security from my 401k balance?
Is my passion my family? Is it my social network? Earthly relationships are a great blessing. But without being rooted in a relationship with God they are really just earthly treasures we will leave behind at death.
Is my passion politics? Do I burn with the need to correct social ills? Do I place huge importance on making the country (or the world) a better place? Some have a passion for eliminating racism, or sexism, or environmental destruction, or economic inequity. Others burn with indignation over the erosion of our civil liberties, our national sovereignty, and our constitutional form of government. These are all earthly treasures. The political battles won today may be lost tomorrow. The political leaders we choose may be corrupted and betray our causes.
Is my passion me? Am I just in it for me? I'm convinced this is the most common and biggest problem any of us have -- selfishness. My passion in life is maximizing my pleasure and my satisfaction in life. I want to do what pleases me. In the end selfishness is short-sighted and destructive. With your heart firmly planted in this life, your treasure will be destroyed well before death. Selfishness inevitably destroys one relationship after another and robs the owner of the joy he so earnestly seeks.
Is my passion heaven? Do I earnestly seek to please God and be like Him? Am I longing to hear Him say "well done, good and faithful servant"? Am I repulsed by that which is evil and sinful? Do I earnestly wish to seek and save the lost? Do I realize that I am a just a traveler, passing through this life? Do I recognize that the "stuff" and joys of this life are temporary blessings God has granted to make my journey better. Do I see that the journey is not the destination? Do I have my eyes fixed on the goal? Do I have the determination that nothing will turn me from it? Am I on my way home to see my Savior? Is my treasure laid up in heaven?
--PG
