Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
My wife Sara and her two sisters, Steph and Sue, finally did something this Thanksgiving that they had been talking about since their father passed away over two years ago. Before their dad died, Fred had encouraged his family to rummage through hundreds of boxes from years gone by: some of which had been in storage for decades. I mean no disrespect to my father-in-law because he was a humbly great man, but he was a hoarder. Born shortly after the Great Depression and into a poor family, Fred kept and stored things that many would just have thrown away. (or… “Many would just have tossed.”)
To fully understand this family “treasure” hunt, you’ll have to picture the narrowest of wooden stairs, steeply descending into a poorly lit, musty, and damp concrete-floored basement with stacks of boxes. Dust covers most everything including the stained, frayed, and taped cardboard containers. If nothing else, the scene reminds you of Jesus’ teaching that things laid up on earth will eventually decay, whether by rust, dust, mold or moth. But my point is not the decaying environment; it’s what the sisters found inside the boxes that mattered.
Honestly, most of it didn’t mean a whole lot to me, but to the daughters, it was treasure. Inside these boxes they discovered their mom’s old china, a box of costume jewelry, (a country preacher couldn’t afford more than that) some Christmas tree ornaments from their childhood, and some other odds and ends. I was drawn to a few treasures myself. Among them, a collection of some sermon notes from Fred’s preaching through his fifty-year ministry, all meticulously handwritten. As a fellow preacher, I recognize these as sacred documents. Throw in some old Bible commentaries and I had struck gold.
Still, Jesus is right. These are earthly treasures and eventually they will all fade away. Maybe Sara and I will pass some of them on to our children, and they to our grandchildren. But, inevitably they will be lost, stolen, decayed, moth-eaten, and ruined. It is the way of “earth treasure,” no matter what it may be. It’s not that Jesus is anti-treasure. It’s just that he wants us to treasure what will last. This is why he says to store up treasure in heaven. This is a truly eternal investment. Whatever you invest in, today’s verse teaches that locating our treasure is the same as locating your heart. If your heart is in heaven, your treasure will be in heaven, but if your heart is on earth, your investments will be here instead.
Throughout the years I have noticed that preachers and theologians approach this “treasure” teaching of our Lord from two different angles. Some contend that Jesus is teaching that the heart follows the treasure. In other words, if you invest your money in the stock market, you will fall in love with investment wealth. If you invest most of your time in a hobby like fishing or crafts, your heart will move its allegiance toward lures or painting. And if you invest all your abilities in work, school, athletics, or music; your heart will beat for raises, grades, championships, and hit songs. What you invest your time, talent, or money in is what your heart will fall in love with. I’m confident that if you would show me your bank statement, your weekly schedule, and the organizations you belong to, I would be able to assess your heart accurately.
Other Bible students interpret Jesus’ teaching differently. They would contend that the heart comes before the treasure. In other words, if you fall in love with fine wine and fine clothes, you’ll be likely to spend lots of money on Merlot and Michael Kors. If you are passionate about a particular sports team (Cubs, Cardinals, Bears… Reds anyone?), you will prioritize their schedule on your calendar and make sure you see or attend every game. If your heart beats fast for golf, shopping, travel, or your children’s activities; your bank account will reflect spending on those things. What your heart falls in love with will be what you invest your time, talent, and money in. I’m confident that even a short conversation would reveal to me what you really care about, and it would allow me to predict with reasonable accuracy where you are invested.
So, which is it? Honestly, I think the genius of Jesus’ teaching is that it’s both. It’s like the age-old debate of “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” It doesn’t really matter. Either way you have chicken. So, it is with “Does your heart guide your treasure, or does your treasure guide your heart?” It doesn’t really matter. Either way it’s about the heart. We simply cannot divorce our heart’s passion from the resources in our possession. They will both end up in the same place. What we need is a heart check, both to learn its true condition and to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to improve our spiritual heart health. Take this simple exam.
Heart check 1: Time.
What do you treasure with your time? Whether you judge by an old-school calendar with squares, or a phone app with reminders, how much of your time is intentionally designated for Jesus and the kingdom of heaven? Not how much should be—how much is? Is Sunday set aside for worship? Does your calendar reflect a week night for small group? Daily time in the Bible? Daily time in prayer? Scheduled time for serving others? If not, what takes up most of your time? Do this heart check often.
Heart check 2: Talent.
What do you treasure with your talent? How are you using your God-given abilities? Maybe God has given you a brilliant mind, lovely singing voice, winsome personality, athletic ability, skilled hands, or caring heart. Whatever your talent, in what ways are you using it for God? What are you doing with your God-given skills that are for Jesus and his kingdom? What are you doing now that will last forever? These questions will help assess your heart’s condition.
Heart check 3: Money.
How are you spending your money? What are your top ten monthly expenditures? List them and you will see quite clearly where your heart lies. If you look at your list and think, “My heart doesn’t care about these things, and certainly not in this order,” then what can you do to change your spending so that it better reflects your heart? If the list accurately measures your heart and you don’t like it, what changes can you make to move your heart and wallet to a place that better reflects your faith? There is nothing like a spending inventory to examine your heart’s true passions. Do it today.
Check your heart. Check your treasure. They’re in the same place. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.