How is your spiritual bank account these days? Are you adding to your heavenly account daily, or is it meager and wanting?
Many people spend their entire lives focused on the things of this world, seeking to lay up a huge pile of earthly possessions and an abundance of money in the worldly bank.
And yet, there is an emptiness, a restlessness, and a realization that the things of this world can vanish in the blink of an eye.
Is there more that is true and real, that nothing on earth can touch or destroy?
The answer is "Yes" and Jesus shows us the way.
In The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us His theology on treasure, possessions, and wealth. Learning the truth He teaches will change your life forever —
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.
Matthew 6:19-21 NLT
What we see here is that worldly prosperity and an abundance of riches, honor, and pleasure will never satisfy the soul. The more you have, the more you want. As Paul pointed out, "People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:9-10 NLT).
Jesus clarified this teaching even further when He said, "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?" (Matthew 16:25-26 NLT).
The real question comes down to how a person is going to spend their life — will you live each day longing for, wishing for, hoping for, and working for treasure on earth that is momentary and fleeting, and then find yourself pierced with many sorrows? Or will you live each day laying up treasure in heaven, working for things that last forever, and experiencing the beauty of the Lord and the contentment and comfort He gives you in life?
What are the the things that last forever? People and God's Word. When you live your life loving God and serving Him, actively involved in spending your time getting to know Him, living in His Word, sharing His heart, and actively involved in living each moment doing His work and carrying out His desires, seeking and saving the lost, and watching Him touch lives in and through you, then you are filling up that heavenly bank account with more treasure than you can even imagine.
Laying up treasure in heaven is not something that just happens. The pursuit of God takes time and intention and involves a decisive move of priorities and purpose.
How can you move from being an earthly treasure seeker to a heavenly treasure keeper? How can you see your heart move from the things of the world to the things of heaven?
I believe the first thing to do is respond to the calling of God when He says, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10 NIV). And then, you will find yourself a thousand steps closer to a heart transformation when you sit down and talk with Jesus. Open the pages of the Word of God to anywhere in the Gospels and imagine Jesus speaking these words directly to you. In fact, you might open to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and just live in His words awhile. Write your thoughts and response and even questions out in The Quiet Time Journal or The Quiet Time Notebook. Sitting down with Jesus and having a talk with Him changes everything. You will discover that He sees all the way into your heart, loves you more than anyone has ever loved you, and wants an intimate, vibrant, personal, ongoing relationship with you.
I was out walking with the Lord one morning in the California desert at sunrise, talking with Him, and capturing images of the sky lighting up with such colorful beauty with my Nikon D810 camera. At one point, the sky turned golden, and as I watched the sun rise, I was reminded of the words of Jesus about laying up treasure in heaven. May this "golden sky" serve as a reminder of the importance of living for the things of heaven, not the things of the earth.
So dear friends, let us all take a good look at how we are spending our lives, and work for treasure in heaven that lasts forever.
Dear Lord, thank You for showing us the way to living for treasure in heaven and the things that last forever. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Blessings ♡ Grace
