Treasures in heaven

Matthew 6:20 (NASB)

Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal

Jesus stated that you are not to store for yourself treasures upon earth, but rather store those treasures in heaven.  We all can agree with His reasons, that moth and rust will destroy (that is, material things are perishable) and that thieves break in and steal (material things are subject to theft that can include what we all are going through now with stock devaluations, recession, bankruptcies, faulty investments, and the like).

So what does it mean to store up treasures in heaven where you don’t have to worry about destruction or loss?  Treasures that Jesus is talking about are our affections, our hopes, and our actions towards others.  In Matthew 19:16-24, when the rich young ruler told Jesus that he had kept all the commandments that Jesus gave, Jesus then told him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor.  But note that He stated that by doing this, the man would have treasure in heaven.  So the act of giving enables treasures to be stored in heaven. 

Treasures are where your heart is.  If your treasure is on earth, your heart will experience unhappiness and disappointment.  If your treasure is in heaven, your heart will not be devastated by whatever happens on earth.   The famous missionary Jim Elliot understood the big picture. By sacrificing his life in an attempt to evangelize Ecuador’s Auca Indians, he became an illustration of his own words: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Jesus said in Luke 16:9 to use your worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.  All you have comes from the Lord.  You must use what you have for the good of others that brings glory to God.  You own nothing, you are a steward of God’s possessions and one day you will need to give account of what you have done with what God gave you.  However, while on earth, by being a good steward, you will be loved by others.  All of this is storing treasures in heaven.   

Think back over your life, perhaps your most recent weeks and months.  What have you done in your life that has stored treasures in heaven?  What have you done that would earn the affirmation from the Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant….” -- Matthew 25:21, 23?