Treasures
“Do not store up yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 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 is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:19-24
Did you know that the richest 85 people in the world are worth more than the poorest 3.5 billion? Even if you did know, it’s still just as shocking, and certainly isn’t very good. While this is a rather extreme case, in Matthew, Jesus isn’t actually condemning those who have a good sum of money…
The Bible praises the ant for storing in the summer the food it will need in the winter (Proverbs 30), and condemns the believer who makes no future provision for his family – as well as regarding a lack of future financial planning as irresponsible.
The most crucial thing here seems to be the idea of being compassionate with your wealth to those with less. Laying up your treasures upon the earth doesn’t mean saving up money, or having a rather lavish life – it means to not be a greedy covet, or a hoarding materialist. It’s almost a reflection of one of the ten commandments, “You must not be envious of your neighbour's goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour”.
Enough of what God says you shouldn’t do, let’s think about what God says you should do. Jesus teaches us to store up our treasures in Heaven – but what does that really entail? These treasures last for as long as heaven will be there! So what kind of investments is God looking for? The development of Christ-like character, growing in the knowledge of God, fruits of the spirit and an abundance of other things that are key to the relationship between you and the Lord.
The power of earthly treasures over us is broken when it is used to serve God and his kingdom, and when we release it by offering it to The Lord, Our God.
Prayer
Lord, I pray that you will help break the hold of earthy treasures over every single one of us. I thank you for your abundant blessings, and I pray that you will help me to use them in the right way. You know my want to live in a Christ-like way, and so I pray you will help me fulfil this desire. In Jesus name, Amen.