“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)
What is it that we genuinely treasure? What is it that our hearts long and yearn for? What brings us excitement, delight or pure joy? Where are our greatest affections placed? That is where our focus will be, Amen? We can know that we have arrived at the core of what we genuinely love when we discover what our hearts truly treasure. The Puritans called the desires of our hearts, “affections”. And rightly so, as we are continually at work seeking to have these great “affections” met. Our hearts are where our treasure is.
While God gives us many wonderful earthly things to enjoy, they were never to replace our love for Him or our pursuit of Him and His ways. Therefore, it is important for us to consider what takes our time, our thoughts, our talents and our treasure (money)? Jesus wants it to be Him. Jesus has always wanted it to be Him. He alone satisfies every bit of the human heart. Down to the last crevasse. If we seek our treasures from anything or anyone else, contentment will not be found – it will elude us. Further, we can know we are pursuing the wrong object when we inordinately obsess over the loss or lack of what we treasure - even if we are simply pricked by it’s being slightly removed or brought in a negative way to our attention. Our treasures are what we most prize and value and our thoughts continually dwell on them. As Augustine wrote: “Every man’s inordinate affection shall be his own affliction.”
Things of this earth are passing away but all things done for Jesus are safely kept in heaven and are eternal. Sounds like a no brainer to me! Why wear ourselves out and worry ourselves to death over things that are perishing, besides also being subject to decay, rust and theft? We want our treasures safely deposited in heaven where nothing destroys them, and no one can get to them, Amen? We would do well to study the Apostle Paul’s example who ran his race – making his body his slave - so that he would not be disqualified for the prize. Affections set rightly. If we live for what is perishing we will end with regret.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)