“Do not lay up treasures on earth but lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-24 ESV).
Jesus, in his sermon on the Mount, addressed the subject of banking. Where do you keep your treasures, your wealth, your money? Jesus looked at two options, treasures on earth, which could include banks, investments, real estate, or anything else on earth, and treasures in heaven, which include suffering persecution for Jesus’ sake (Matt 5:12), loving one’s enemies (5:46), generous gifts to the poor (6:2-4), fervent and sincere prayer (6:5-6), and humble fasting (6:16-18). Treasures on earth will buy you earthly possessions, pleasures, and material things. Treasures in heaven will show God where your heart is. The benefit of heavenly treasures will be waiting for you in heaven.
Each of us came into the world exactly the same way, naked and with nothing. We will all leave this world with the same thing, nothing. I heard a man say one time, ”I will be buried with money, jewelry, and gold in my casket”. The reality is, that when the casket is opened, years or decades down the road, all the Jewelry, money, and gold that he was buried with will still be there, in the casket. His soul, which departed from his body at the point of death, went to heaven or hell, but it was never in his casket, and it went exactly the way it arrived into this word, with nothing.
The things you treasure will show exactly where your heart is. Jesus tells us that in v24, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (ESV). The things that you value the most will be the closest to your heart. When you value material wealth, “treasures on earth,” above “treasures in heaven,” you have put earthly possessions ahead of the kingdom of God in importance in your life. IN simple terms, that is living for today, with no regard for tomorrow. The day will come for each of us when we stand in front of the Great White Throne of God and must account for how we have lived (Revelation 20:11- 15).
People say, “I have to support my family,” and that is true, but such people see having material wealth and earthly possessions and being faithful to God as a competition. One must win and the other must lose. That is not the case. When you put God first in your life, and when you glorify Him, you will find that He returns to you far more than what you have used for His glory. Jesus has told us this is exactly what would happen, “But first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33 ESV).
If you look at the list of things that Jesus referred to as treasures to store up in heaven, all except “generous gifts to the poor” are not material wealth. They are treasures of the heart, not the wallet. He explains this in v21. “For where your treasure is, your heart will be also.” He knew that your heart and your treasure (what is important to you) will be in the same place. ”Generous gifts to the poor”, gifts to charities, supporting your local church or ministry, is all supporting the Kingdom of God. When you put God first, you support the Kingdom of God, He will see to it that you have everything you need.
The Bible has many illustrations of this principle. One of the best in the book of Job. The devil took everything that Job had; his wealth, his earthly possessions, his family, and his reputation, yet Job stayed true to God. Because he (Job) was faithful to God above all else, God restored Job with “twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10).
When you think about where you are storing up treasures (what bank you are using), think about where your heart is. Do you think about material wealth and possessions (the earthly bank, treasures on earth), or do you think about serving and glorifying God (laying up treasures in heaven)? It all comes down to a simple principle, you take care of God and He will more than take care of you.