Jesus said, “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).
The desire to make lasting investments that will tremendously benefit us in the future is a goal of all forward-thinking individuals. What we accumulate in our lives must be properly managed. Jesus gives us wonderful guidance in making the proper investments now so as to yield the maximum benefits in the future. His instructions, however, are entirely different from investment plans that are confined to this life.
Jesus shows us that earthly wealth is insecure. As moth and rust corrupt costly clothing and precious metals respectively, so the value of many earthly possessions decreases. Even markets have bubbles that burst and leave investors with much less than they presumed. Add to that depreciation the fact that others are out to take what is ours and you have a very insecure situation in regard to physical wealth. The common way of storing treasures in the first century was not in a vault, but hidden in one’s house, the walls of which were often made of mud. Thieves could literally dig through the wall to steal valuables. The twenty-first century has seen the rise of thefts that are committed not with the display of a weapon or the use of physical force, but from behind a computer screen through the anonymity of the Internet. The means have changed but the effects are the same: thieves will take what you have legitimately earned and saved. In contrast, heavenly treasures are immune to corruption and secure from theft (Lk. 12:33-34; 1 Pet. 1:3-4).
All of us need a certain amount of earthly wealth to live. If we are fortunate enough to avoid huge losses to what we have accumulated, there is still the danger of what wealth may do to our hearts. It can easily enslave us (1 Tim. 6:9). Our heart will be where our treasure is. How sad is the life of one who places his only hope in this world. If this life alone is all there is, then one’s efforts and investments will ultimately come to a tragic end. We leave it all to someone else. However, the prospect of a future life provides a hope for which the human heart yearns, especially in the moments of loss that are part of this life. Jesus says to be only earthly-minded is foolish. We must be forward-thinking enough to prepare for heaven. Heaven will not be ours by default, but only after a life of proper preparation. “No man ever went to heaven whose heart was not already there.” There are tremendous joys and wonders that this life has to offer, but if we aim only for them we will come up short, wanting something more, something permanent. Aim for earth and get nothing; aim for heaven and get its joys with what earth has to offer thrown in.
Am I investing in the life to come? Does heaven occupy a prominent place in my heart? Or do I have too much of this dying world in me? Beware of banking in the wrong place. You can come up very short when the bill comes due.
-Mark Day
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