Wondering how to store up treasures in heaven? Let’s talk about our erodible existence and how to switch our focus from the things of earth to the the eternal treasure that really matters.
Do not Store up for Yourselves Treasures on Earth
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 (ESV)
I hurriedly jumped into my car and turned the key only to hear the disconcerting click! click! click! that means a dead car battery. I looked at the sticker that recorded my battery’s birth date, and it warned me that in three years from that date the battery will have spent its life. Sure enough, I had once again outlived the life of a normally anonymous car accessory that becomes exceptionally notorious when it dies. Little did I know that morning that I would be presiding over an impromptu funeral for my battery and purchasing another new one with no better prospects for a longer life. The new battery was born to die, too, and I will no doubt discover its sparkless corpse hiding under my car hood at some undetermined, unplanned, and inconvenient day a few years hence.
What Does it Mean to Store up Treasures in Heaven?
Look around you. In a hundred years or less, all the things you see today will likely be gone, either consumed or destroyed. Rust will have devoured them, leaving behind only crumbling flakes of corrosion, or rot and decay will have eaten away their strength and purpose. The treasures that we have labored and sacrificed to purchase and possess are destined for landfills and junkyards where they will complete their obligatory journey into oblivion.
Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:19-21 are not, “Enjoy all this flash-in-the-pan stuff, all these bangles and baubles, while you can!” No, His concern was for the eternal, for heaven, for He knew that investments made with heaven in mind endure, not erode. The only ironclad guarantee of eternal benefit from this life is to pursue kingdom values and goals in a world that constantly reminds us to “look out for number one” and “do what makes you happy,” usually through accumulating all the right brands and models and styles of the stuff we are told we must have to be somebody.
Did you hear about the fellow whose red Lamborghini had the custom license plate “GPA 2.7”? No doubt he hoped to poke fun at the well-educated PhDs and MBAs he might roar past on the road. His message? “Look at my car! I’ve arrived! I’m somebody!” Few of us have exotic sports cars, but most of us have something we own that we consider to be the barometer of our success and value. And at that point, Jesus takes issue with us and our possessions.
So How can We Pay it Forward and Accumulate Untouchable Treasure in Heaven?
So how can we “pay it forward” and accumulate untouchable treasure in heaven?
- Give unpretentiously to those in need, “and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:4).
- Pray to impress God and not those who hear you praying, “and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (6:6).
- Forgive others, and “your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (6:14). Be God’s servant and not the servant of your money (6:24).
In fact, Jesus lays out a complete strategy for laying up treasure in heaven in Matthew 5-7. Read it with eternity in mind.
One of the challenges of living out a vibrant life with the kingdom of God in mind is comprehending the truth that all the stuff that looks so permanent now, isn’t. All that we work so hard to gain and then to keep is actually distracting us from gaining what we can never lose – in heaven. Such insight is not easy, for now is all that we know by experience. Yet is necessary, and looking ahead to then demands intentional living now with the future in mind.
Where Your Treasure is there Your Heart Will be Also
Jesus reveals the true benefit of this kingdom strategy: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Biblically, the heart is the center, the core, of our desires and affections. Be honest about what your heart craves and you’ll discover where your heart’s affections lie. What do you really want in life? There’s where you heart is, and your treasure will follow close behind. King Solomon warned, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Life itself gushes from our desires like a bubbling spring, and the forever fruitfulness of our lives is directly coupled to the overflow of that spring. St. Augustine (354-430AD) makes it easy to understand:
- Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure;
- Where your treasure is, there is your heart;
- Where your heart is, there is your happiness.
Some folks live with a literal heart monitor that immediately warns when their cardiac activity is abnormal and in need of corrective therapy. We all need a spiritual heart monitor, too, that will warn us when we have thoughtlessly attached ourselves to this world and dangerously ignored the next. That monitor, of course, is the Word of God, the Bible, if we are wise enough to daily consult it, courageously believe it, and then dutifully obey it. Be assured today: The Bible affirms over and over that all that is not eternal will be pried from our hands and pruned from our lives in due time. That’s our erodible existence.
Afterword
How to Store up Treasures in Heaven
Eliza Hewitt (1851-1920) turned to writing hymns after a serious spinal injury in her 20s caused her to struggle as a semi-invalid for the rest of her life. We still hear her in such songs as “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place,” “When We All Get to Heaven,” and “More About Jesus.” But it is her song “Treasures in Heaven” that speaks directly to our pursuits and possessions:
Have we laid up our treasures in heaven? The land where no moth shall consume, No beautiful links shall be riven, No frost blight the lily’s fair bloom.
Refrain: Wonderful treasures, heavenly pleasures, Never to perish, nor fade away; Wonderful treasures, heavenly pleasures, Are we laying up treasures today?
Have we laid up our treasures by caring for those who are lonely and sad? Each gift and each happiness sharing, to make others grateful and glad.
Have we laid up our treasures by trusting The Father, whose help is now nigh? Our lives to his counsel adjusting, and serving the Master on high?
Have we laid up our treasures in heaven, Rich treasures of faith, hope and love? If so, what bright stars shall be given, what blessings await us above!
Perry C. Brown
Perry is on staff with the worldwide radio ministry “Truth For Life with Alistair Begg” (truthforlife.org). He’s taught the Bible for 40 years, and his books are available at the Amazon link below. This article is an excerpt from Perry’s forthcoming book “The Forever Factor, Everyday Living in Light of Eternity.”
© 2023 by Perry C. Brown. Used by permission.
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