God’s Constitution, Pt 25: Treasures

Matthew 6:19-24                   19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  24“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Much of God’s Constitution (the Sermon on the Mount) addresses the difference between what one says and what one does.  So it is here as Jesus is speaking of our tendency to value things instead of people.  But let’s ask ourselves just what Jesus means with the word treasures.  Clearly the surface meaning is money, as He says in the last verse, “You cannot serve both God and money.”  I think a more useful consideration is, “What do you value?” 

First, let me say it is OK to acquire things as long as it is done righteously (without theft or deceit) and as long as it is done with proper perspective.  It is part of the human condition to have times of want and times of plenty.  Paul addresses that in Philippians 4.

….for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11b-13)

And it is also part of the human condition to gripe about the times of need and exalt in the times of plenty.  But both of those responses miss the point.  Both Jesus and Paul are addressing the issue of “What do you value?”

Also, we should ask how one ‘sees’ money.  This is the point of v22-23.  Jesus is asking, “What is your focus?”  Do you see God as master or money as master.  If the latter, then in essence the person is coveting money and that is a sort of idolatrous, selfish hoarding of material things, a ‘storing up of treasures on earth’.

5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Colossians 3:5)

Last night was one of our church’s home group meetings (we call them Lifeboats) and I arrived with an attitude.  Recently I have been engaged in redecorating my home and mostly it has been fun, but much of the stuff I’m removing have memories of my wife attached.  She’s gone now, and believe me, she was my treasure.  In the removing of those things, I’ve had to deal with the thought that I was removing her memories.  Of course, that’s not true, but in the process I’ve come to understand that I now have at least one more ‘treasure in heaven’ awaiting me.  At that Lifeboat a good, good friend helped me understand that memories are not things; they are eternal.

Believer, and I assume in saying that that you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, are you aware that you are an eternal being?  In His sacrifice for your salvation, Jesus gave your eternal life.  Someday each of us will move from this temporal part of life to the eternal.  At that time, our eyes will be opened and we will see true reality, see the fully revealed Jesus, and see where true worth lies. 

So, what we value now will pale in comparison to what we will value then.  I’ve heard it said, ‘You cannot serve both God and money’ (this verse), and I’ve also heard it said, ‘You can serve God with money”.  The point is that money is transitory, it comes and goes; it is not eternal.  But what one does with that money can be eternal.  If we surround ourselves with friends who are believers and if we help them through their struggles financially and emotionally, we are storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven.  Money is a resource to be used to further God’s Kingdom.  Yes, it can make our lives a little easier, but if that is all we use it for then it becomes a wasted asset.  It has not been useful, and it won’t carry over from this time to the next.  A believer’s true treasure is not his bank account; it is his acceptance of Jesus as Savior and the possession of friends. 

Think of it this way.  Where do you keep your money?  Under the mattress?  No, you keep it in your bank.  What about God’s bank?  Every person has assets.  Yes, part of those assets is money, but so also are the skills, talents, time, and influences with which God has blessed him.  We can think of those assets as ways to make our lives easier, but the smarter thing is to consider the eternal way of using them.  That’s like making a deposit in God’s bank.  If you let a friend cry on your shoulder as he or she processes a difficult time, you are making a deposit.  If you give gas money to a stranger, you are making a deposit.  It you buy a pair of shoes for someone you are making a deposit.  The point is to see money as a tool, not a goal of acquisition.  It is important to think of God’s gifts as blessings certainly, but also to consider how to use them for their eternal value.  So believer, don’t shrink back; don’t become a hermit.  Reach out; love a friend; bless someone; make a deposit.