“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 moth and rust 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 (NIV)
Where does our true treasure lie? All believers in sweet Jesus are children of the King of King’s and the Lord of Lord’s. Heaven is their home and earth is merely their sojourn. And, how we live in the here and now matters greatly in our eternal state. Earthly treasures are given for our enjoyment as well as to be used as our investment towards heavenly rewards. The Pharisees believed that the Lord blessed those He loved through temporal blessings and they were intent on storing up great treasures on earth – much like many continue to do so today. Yet all these treasures of earth are subject to moth, rust, decay, thieves or whatever. They all stand as “testimonies” to the rich man’s folly, unless our treasures are used as Scripture tells us. James 5:2-3 (NIV) states: “Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” Remember, riches cannot alleviate our deep need in our dying hour either. They will bring no lasting comfort, peace, or joy. When we have God as our portion we have more than all else put together.
We are to use the gifting of our wealth to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven which are untouched by moth, rust or theft as well as to remember they are gracious gifts to us from the Master’s Hand given for our enjoyment and for His use. Treasures deposited in heaven are kept safe by Jesus and can never be lost. How can we be joyless when we have such treasures stored in heavenly places – for all eternity – not merely a span of 70 or 80 years? When our focus gets off of Jesus and on to worldly treasures, we begin to covet money or things our spiritually diseased eyes greatly desire and we remain in spiritual darkness – not walking in the light of His love. Never satisfied, we become mastered by greed and the insatiable lust for more and more.
When we have God as our portion we are rich indeed. It is never Christ plus anything. It is Christ alone. He is to be our sufficiency and strength. Remember, God desires for us to demonstrate our faith by our joy of what His hand bestows – either in plenty or in want – and in our giving and our love for Him and for others. Discouragement is not too far behind if we desire to fill our cups with earthly pleasures in lieu of the Living Water of the Lord Jesus.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. Hebrews 11:24-27 (NIV)