Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
We all want to be blessed and do well in life. If we ever hope to unlock the blessing of God on our lives, we need to understand that God gave us everything we have so it really all belongs to Him.
Developing the right attitude about money and possessions is key to your heart being focused in the right place. If we love earthly treasures or things most of all, our love will be wasted. The reason Jesus gives for prohibiting the storing of such treasure is that it will be destroyed. It is temporal, not eternal. Earthly treasures will rust, get eaten by moths, and we definitely can’t take them with us when we go. If anything in this world is everything to you, it is an earthly treasure.
Realizing that where our treasure is, there is our heart also, we would do well to ask ourselves:
· What occupies our thoughts when we have nothing else to do? What occupies our daydreams? Is it our investments, our position? If so, those are the things we treasure, and that is where our hearts really are.
· Similarly, what is it that we fret about most? Is it our home or perhaps our clothing? If so, then we know where our treasure lies.
· Apart from our loved ones, what or whom do we most dread losing?
· What are the things that we measure others by? (This question is a very revealing mirror because we measure other people by that which we treasure.) Do we measure others by their clothing? By their education? By their homes? By their athletic prowess? Do we measure others by their success in the business world? If so, we know where our treasure lies.
· Lastly, what is it that we know we cannot be happy without?
None of us will take anything with us when we leave this world. Job understood this perfectly: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. Job 1:21. Or as the Spanish proverb says, “There are no pockets in a shroud.” When we pass away, all our material possessions will remain on the earth. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1 Timothy 6:7
1 Timothy 6:7
What does God expect of you?Although we have temporary control, all these things will ultimately return to God. We are to use money as God's agent for good in the world. If we use up all that we receive on ourselves, we are mismanaging God's resources. Money is a tool and when we are extra blessed, we can bless others and use the extra to help further the Kingdom of God. The fulfillment we will get from helping others and reaching people for Christ is far better than stacking it all up along the walls of our house.
God wants to be the number one desire of our hearts. He is jealous for us – He wants a relationship with us and to be the object of our affections. He wants to be the greatest treasure of our lives.
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
