Mathew 6:19
“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… No man 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.”
In America, it’s hard to escape the focus of acquiring more and more wealth. It seems to be woven into our very nature, and has become a defining factor of many people’s lives. As humans, we work hard for whatever we value most, whether that be work, family, money, pleasures, etc. But what God is saying in this passage is something that seems quite foreign to us; the thing we value most must be the Kingdom of Heaven. This passage doesn’t just say “lay up some of your treasures on earth, and some of them in Heaven” it says to let go of the world and cling on to Heaven. This means that it has to become our number one concern; the first thing we think about when we wake up, and the last thing we thing about when we fall asleep.
But why should we lay up all our treasures in Heaven and not keep some for our time here on earth? Because it’s simply a waste of time. All the money you make, all the houses you build, all the cars in your driveway, they will all one day slip out of your hands. Storing up our treasures here on earth would be like improving an apartment that you have to move out of next month; it’s just a waste of time. But the things that you do for the kingdom of Heaven shall never fade away; they shall never be taken from your hand.
Now, if your thoughts are “Okay, I’ll look to the future and store up my treasures in Heaven, but I’ll also keep some for the short time that I’m here on earth”, then I would like to point out the exclusivity of these options. You cannot serve two masters; you cannot serve God and money. These actions are polar opposites, and as a house divided against itself cannot stand, neither can the will divided against itself. Therefore we must become resolved and focused on one side or the other, the side of emptiness, or the side of eternal rewards.
“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… No man 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.”
In America, it’s hard to escape the focus of acquiring more and more wealth. It seems to be woven into our very nature, and has become a defining factor of many people’s lives. As humans, we work hard for whatever we value most, whether that be work, family, money, pleasures, etc. But what God is saying in this passage is something that seems quite foreign to us; the thing we value most must be the Kingdom of Heaven. This passage doesn’t just say “lay up some of your treasures on earth, and some of them in Heaven” it says to let go of the world and cling on to Heaven. This means that it has to become our number one concern; the first thing we think about when we wake up, and the last thing we thing about when we fall asleep.
But why should we lay up all our treasures in Heaven and not keep some for our time here on earth? Because it’s simply a waste of time. All the money you make, all the houses you build, all the cars in your driveway, they will all one day slip out of your hands. Storing up our treasures here on earth would be like improving an apartment that you have to move out of next month; it’s just a waste of time. But the things that you do for the kingdom of Heaven shall never fade away; they shall never be taken from your hand.
Now, if your thoughts are “Okay, I’ll look to the future and store up my treasures in Heaven, but I’ll also keep some for the short time that I’m here on earth”, then I would like to point out the exclusivity of these options. You cannot serve two masters; you cannot serve God and money. These actions are polar opposites, and as a house divided against itself cannot stand, neither can the will divided against itself. Therefore we must become resolved and focused on one side or the other, the side of emptiness, or the side of eternal rewards.