Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:21
My kids often collect different things they have regarded as treasures. When my youngest son, Jesse, was five, he started collecting acorns every day when he went to school. After four weeks of doing this, he had completely filled his Paw Patrol backpack with about five pounds of acorns. We tried to get rid of all the nuts, but every time Jesse would cling to his treasure as if it were a priceless work of art. It took weeks to convince him that his prized possessions were actually not worth very much.
Many of us go through life hanging on to lots of stuff. We buy TVs, clothes, jewelry, toys, and household items in hopes that we might be a little happier. The problem is that things often wear out. In the end, your most prized possession might one day be a hot item on the dollar table at a garage sale. Jesus knew that materialism and possessions would never satisfy us. That is why He took the time with His disciples to talk about storing up treasures in heaven. This represents times where we made decisions based not on what would benefit us in this life, but in eternity. The act of leading another person to Jesus, giving to the things of God, and making your life count by serving, allows us to store up treasures in heaven. Jesus reminded us the very thing we focus on and obsess about has our heart. If it is getting a new pair of Yeezy shoes (they are expensive), or focusing on a relationship over God, it can easily take over your heart.
God didn't want us to be consumed by possessions. The problem is that many people become like my little 5-year-old boy with their acorns when it comes to the stuff they accumulate. They hold onto it, treasure it, and are fearful that someone might take it away. They forget that the items that they have are temporary and not long lasting. The encouragement from Jesus is that what you treasure is what has your heart. I want my heart to be held by things that honor God, rather than the stuff that will one day dawn a Goodwill store. What about you?
If we want to break the back of materialism, we have to live humbly before God. It means that we honestly admit that this is a struggle for us every day. We constantly try to put ourselves first before other people, and a symptom of that is a garage that is packed out with stuff we thought would make us happy. It may be time to humble yourself before God and confess that you need Him. Take some time to write out some treasures that you have been seeking over God and then humbly come before God and ask for help. Ask God to give you the strength to pursue treasures in heaven.
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
