Treasure...

Image courtesy of Stoonn

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."--Matthew 6:21.  Jesus, still speaking about the righteousness that needs to be of God.  Here in the context of Matthew 6:19-24, we are looking at money or treasure and where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. 

Treasure.  Many times when we hear the word treasure, we think of a chest such as the one pictured above full of gold and other precious metals.  However,the treasure chests we see in today's society are vastly different.  As a matter of fact, there is a pretty good chance you have a treasure chest of your own even as you read this. In today's society, treasure chests come in the form of bank accounts, 401k's and other things of that nature.  I just want to say upfront my intention here is not to speak for or against these things but simply to help us all, myself included gain a better perspective on our attitude towards money through the lens of God's inspired word.  Furthermore, we will look at the fact that our treasure is, that is where our heart will be. 

Treasure.  Question, what do you devote the majority of your time to?  More specifically, what do you put the majority of your money towards?  A way to practically figure this out is to take a look at your checkbook or your last bank statement.  Jesus states that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. The fact is what we spend most of our time and money on is an indicator of where our heart is and that is what we treasure most.  

Treasure.  Something we all need to be reminded of is that money is a precious commodity that must be handled with wisdom.  Money, no matter how much or how little we might have is something God has given us and it must be something that is handled appropriately because it ultimately belongs to God and not to us.  This can be difficult for many because we live in a society that teaches us to consume whereas the Bible teaches us that we should produce or "bear fruit."  This includes with our money.  Ask yourself is your money going towards things that only meet your selfish needs or is your money going towards things that will ultimately aid you in furthering the kingdom of God and helping others?  Please don't get me wrong here.  We do need to spend money on ourselves in order to survive from day to day but all I am saying is if all our money is focused on ourselves and none is invested in the Lord and in others, then there is a problem, a heart problem. 

Treasure.  Jesus says where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.  In order to figure out where our heart is, we must ask ourselves where our treasure is.  If our treasure is solely in our bank accounts and our 401k's, we must be reminded that these are the things which thieves can break in and steal and where moth and rust destroy.  When we look back through history, we see how people have lost everything simply for putting their heart and soul into "the almighty dollar."  Again, we need money to get by but when we lose sight of the fact that money is only temporary and can by no means get us to heaven, then there is a problem, a heart problem. 

So my encouragement to you is this.  Take some time and take a look at how you have been spending your money over the last 30 days.  Based on what you find, see if there is anything you can do to change your spending habits in such a way that you could put more money towards furthering the kingdom of God and/or helping others who are in need.  May we never forget the words of Jesus, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!