Treasure in Heaven

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

“Treasure” is wealth or riches stored or accumulated. You could say that someone who has a bunch money stored away in the bank, that their money is their treasure. In the well-known Christmas story of “Scrooge,” he had an abundace of money, gold, and possessions. That is all that Scrooge cared about, his money and possessions, and how he could acquire more. Scrooge was a money lender, and when the time for the loan to be paid, he didn’t care about the people who owed him money, all he wanted was to continually store up more and more treasure for himself.

For some people, their treasure could be a rare, expensive cars. I have heard about and seen pictures of some people who have hundreds of old, expensive collector cars. Their cars are their most prized, treasured possessions that they own.

But like all “treasures,” there is always going to be someone who wants something more than another person, and will try to steal it for themselves. Like everything on the earth, everything eventually gets old, ruined, wrecked, or broken. Clothes rip and tear, no matter how expensive they are. Metal rusts, paper tears, glass breaks. 

Instead of storing up treasures on the earth can be stolen or broken, Jesus teaches us that we should lay up treasure in Heaven. In Heaven, there will not be people trying to steal from you. Things won’t get corrupted, like silver or gold that tarnishes on the earth. 

If you stop to really think about it, what is the purpose of amassing treasures and possessions on the earth when we only live a short while here? Some people will spend a large portion of their life trying to attain their “dream” life, with cars, boats, houses, gold, etc, and die a short while later. How is all of that treasure going to benefit them now? You cannot take the things you acquire while on the earth with you after you die. 

Instead of spending years of their life working to attain treasures on the earth, they would be far, far better off if they would have spent all that time in the service of Christ. Because just as you receive payment for your work or services from an employer, Jesus rewards those who labor for Him. But unlike an earthly employer, the reward that Jesus gives lasts for eternity. It never goes bad, or gets old. 

Give a cold cup of water to someone in the name of Jesus or a disciple, reward. Help others to grow in God’s word, reward. 

So you see, all of the treasures that you could ever store up on the earth will someday be gone, but if you store up your treasures in Heaven, they will last forever.

In Luke 12, we read about the parable Jesus told about the man who had a great year with his crops. He received so much more that year than he ever had in the past that he decided to store it all up for himself, and take it easy. But what that man didn’t know was that he wouldn’t be around to use all of the things he had stored up for himself, because he would die that night.

“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 

And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 

And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21

You can spend your whole life trying to attain more and more riches and wealth for yourself, but you cannot take it with you when you die. If you want true riches that last forever, you need to start storing them up in Heaven. Treasures on the earth last only for a short time, but in the Kingdom of God they will last forever. Start storing up your treasures in Heaven!

In Christ,

Andrew