“Do not store up for 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.” – Matthew 6:19-21
Where our treasure is, there are your heart will be also.
Treasure is “what we greatly value and highly prize.” The majority of us would say that we “value” our walk with Christ, but just simply based on our time & care, let’s do a little comparison between Jesus & our phones.
- What do I reference more throughout the day – God’s Word or my phone?
- If I left my house without my phone, would I turn around to go get it? But do I ever leave my house unaware that I’m not truly taking Jesus with me?
- Do I spend more time meditating on God’s promises or scrolling social media?
- Do I pray more than I post?
- Do I recharge my phone more than I recharge my soul?
- Do I feel more satisfaction with “likes” and “hearts” than I do walking in obedience to Him?
- Do I ever go a day (or an hour) without checking my phone? Do I ever go a day without really acknowledging God?
Whew. I know if I answer those questions honestly, I don’t always get it right. But if my actions are my truths, I must make sure my actions reflect that I treasure my Savior. Because my heart follows my treasure.
When we see the word “heart” in Scripture, it’s easy to just think about our affections. That’s how we use the word today, after all. But in that time, heart didn’t just refer to affections. Heart referred to our inner selves. So when read this verse, we must see, “Where your treasure is, there your [thoughts, purposes, whole self] will be also.”
Here’s the truth: Just like money, stuff [or treasure] is morality free. It’s not really about the stuff. It’s about our response to our stuff that counts. And as we can expect, the more “stuff” we have, the more complicated following this principle will get.
Andy Stanley explains it so well in How to Be Rich – “It’s easier to keep your priorities in perspective when they revolve around the tangible elements of survival—like your next meal. The richer you get, however, the more your priorities begin to separate from actual needs. When all of our basic requirements are met, our appetites for progress don’t turn off. We simply turn from the things we need to the things we want. And that’s when we enter the world of the subjective. Wants are harder to define. And easier to confuse.”
But here’s my favorite part – “On this point, Jesus could not have been clearer. It’s not what you have that matters. It’s what you do with what you have that will count either for you or against you in the kingdom of heaven.”
We already know that we came into the world with nothing, and we will leave the world with nothing (1 Timothy 6:7). So let’s not allow something so temporary keep us from putting earthly treasures and our hearts in the wrong place.
God, help us choose eternal values over earthly possessions. We know that having the wrong treasure leads to our hearts being in the wrong place. We long for our hearts to be hidden in You. We desire to value you more than anything this world has to offer. Forgive us when we fail, and create constant actions in our lives that show You are our most prized possession. Thank you for the matchless gift of Your Son that can never be taken away. Amen.
