Treasures in Heaven
“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.”
Matthew 6:19-21
Everyone is into something. Everyone values something. We all have people or things we treasure. Even those upset with life are upset because their life doesn’t match their ideal or what they think they deserve. We are also motivated by what we value. If we value money, we are motivated to work and invest. If we value learning, we will pursue education. If we value leisure, we will pursue relaxation. Knowing this enables us to evaluate our lives to see what we treasure. Some people exalt their children and their children’s happiness and success becomes paramount.
Notice Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” We can convince ourselves we value things that we really don’t. We may aspire to be something or have something, but we don’t pursue it. It is not an actual value, merely and aspirational one. Our hearts are often a mystery even to ourselves and understanding them can be elusive. However, by looking at our lives and the things we are spending our time, talent, and resources pursuing gives us a window into what we really treasure in our hearts.
We must be careful here because looking at other people’s lives might give us an indication of what they value, but we don’t know why they value it and what their motivations is because we cannot know the intents of their hearts. The purpose here is not to try to figure out other people’s hearts and motivations, but to examine our own lives to understand what motivates us. We must guard against presumption, speculation, and judgment. Used humbly God may use us to help others examine their treasures and better understand what is motivating their hearts, but that is secondary. We must first examine our own lives. This is why Jesus says later, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matt 7:5)
What if you realize you are treasuring the wrong things? Changing is more than just will-power or behavior modification. We cannot truly change our heart just by trying harder. This kind of change may “work” in some sense, but in our own strength this is not change that honors God or is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Some say, “Fake it till you make it.” Or “by changing your behavior you will change your heart.” True and lasting change is a work of the Holy Spirit. That doesn’t mean that you do nothing. Yes, stop pursuing those things that don’t honor Christ and start pursuing those things that God values and build up his kingdom. Also, and this is key, humbly pray and ask God to change your heart and desires so you will want the things he wants and pursue the things that please him. Ask him to help you value what he values and treasure what he treasures. Spiritual change is not self-improvement, It is a work of God’s grace.
