Where is Your Treasure?

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).

Where is your treasure? Some teach that this passage is calling us to reject all earthly possessions other than what is essential to get along; a vow of poverty; suggesting that earthly wealth, in itself, is wrong. They look to verse 19 of this passage in support of their position: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…:

But Jesus is not speaking merely about having money or material possessions; He is speaking about the condition of our hearts in relation to earthly wealth. The Apostle Paul expanded on this teaching in his letters to Timothy. In First Timothy 6:9 he says, “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare.” Then, in verse 17, he says, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches…”

The problem is not in having money and things. The problem is in desiring those things, trusting in those things and feeling proud of those things. It is a matter of attitude. We give our hearts to that which we truly treasure. And Jesus made it abundantly clear in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot give our hearts to Him and still have affection for the things of the world.

God is not trying to ruin our fun. He is not some ogre who demands that we give Him all of our attention rather than to something of equal value to Him. There is nothing that is equal to God Himself in value! Why? Because He is the Creator and Sustainer of all! Therefore, God is of infinite value.

There is a very practical reason why God wants us to set our affections on Him and store up our treasures in heaven rather than pursuing the accumulation of earthly wealth. That reason can be summed up in two words from First Timothy 6:17…“uncertain riches”. Our nation’s current economic crisis ought to be sufficient evidence of that uncertainty! In Matthew 6, Jesus points out that all earthly possessions (including money) are vulnerable to theft, decay and collapse. According to recent news reports, even the government insurance that protects our money in the bank is in jeopardy.

But, as God’s children, we need not worry about all the uncertainty that is threatening the American way of life. In fact, Jesus commands us several times in Matthew 6:25-34, “Do not worry.” If we are desperately hanging on to earthly things, worrying about what life will be like if it all collapses, then that is evidence that our treasures are earthly and our hearts have misplaced affections.

I wrote in my last post about the importance of believing that God is great. If we truly believe that He is great, that He loves us, that He wants what is best for us; then we will hold loosely to our money and material possessions. If we truly have our affections set on heavenly treasure, then we will seek ways to use our earthly treasures for a heavenly purpose. Do you have enough? Then, find someone who is in need and share with them. That is how you can use your earthly treasures to store up heavenly treasures.

The words of First Timothy 6:18-19 are written to those who have been blessed with much. As Americans, we all have been blessed with much. So, these words apply to every one of us: “Do good…be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for [yourselves] a good foundation for the time to come, that [we] may lay hold on eternal life.”