MONDAY March 23, 2020

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

After Jesus spoke about communion with God, prayer and self-denial, He turned now to the subject of material gain. He was dealing with the attitude towards people’s possessions. Jesus taught on the importance and benefits of laying up true treasures in heaven. In the midst of our busy lives, we can be controlled by many things. If material gain rules and dominate over our lives, we are not free to serve Him.

Everyone has a god. Think about that for a second. If God is not first, then something else is your god. It could be your job, your car or your Harley-Davidson. It could even be a person––your wife or your children. What or whom has taken possession of is governing over your life? Where are your deepest affections? Where do you place most of your concentration? That is your treasure, and that is where your heart is!

Honestly, there is nothing wrong with possessions, but if they possess you, then they become a problem. Do you really know what your first love in life is? If you love that person or possession more than you love God, you are in trouble. There is a weakness in your life––be on guard because you are not to be governed by anything other than Christ.

Take a true test of your heart. What would happen if your earthly treasures were taken from you? Would you feel your life is gone? Understand, our earthly treasures can be swept away by a flood, or destroyed by an earthquake or tornado! Will your faith be destroyed, or will your faith in God maintain you? Remember, we are always looking to the eternal, not the temporal. We need to have true spirituality. Where are you keeping your treasures?

Can people tell from the emphasis we attach to material things whether we have set our affection on things above, or whether we are primarily attached to this world?
~Billy Graham~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!