If you make it your goal to store up treasure in heaven then you will invest yourself in eternal things instead of rotten things.
In Matthew 6:19 – 24 Jesus says…
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Over the last few weeks we learned that:
- Your treasure is what you fix your eye upon and what your eye is fixed upon becomes your master.
- If you treasure earthly things then you treasure rotten things and rotten things make you sick.
The question is: What do you treasure? Do you treasure money or do you treasure Christ?
In verse 20 Jesus tells us that we should lay up for (ourselves) treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. If you make it your goal to store up treasure in heaven then you will invest yourself in eternal things instead of rotten things.
How do we lay up treasure in heaven? How do we hoard up treasure for ourselves in heaven? If our natural bent is to use earthly belongings and wealth as a means of gaining more earthly belongings and wealth then the way we begin to repent of that sin is to see our earthly belongings and wealth as a means of investing in heaven where the return on our investment is eternal.
These diagnostic questions have been helpful to me over the years…
When I spend money on my home is it motivated by the desire to have a nicer home or to have the ability to fellowship with Christian friends? Do I see my home as an extension of God’s kingdom here on Earth? Is my car just a means of transportation or do I use it to serve other people who are less fortunate than myself? Do I purchase clothing because I like the way it makes me look or do I purchase clothing with my mind set on honoring the Lord in modesty? Do my spending habits communicate generosity and investment in the mission of the local church? How am I investing in the advancement of the gospel across the globe? Am I financially supporting missionaries and my local church ministry in appropriate ways?
Your treasure is what you fix your eye upon and what your eye is fixed upon will become your master. If you treasure earthly things then you treasure rotten things and rotten things make you sick. If you make it your goal to store up treasure in heaven then you will invest yourself in eternal things instead of rotten things.
The good news is Christ came to set us free from our slaveholders. Jesus is the master that brings life from death. He is our healer. When you trust him for salvation you become his treasure and he becomes your treasure and then your sickness is healed. So the question is: What do you treasure? Do you treasure money or do you treasure Christ?