Matthew 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
There are many things that we have come to appreciate in this life. We value a nice home, a dependable car, the latest technology, and a stable job. We have certainly come to value our “down time.” We own boats and campers for weekends on the lake, or we hold season tickets so we can go and cheer on our favorite college or professional sports team.
There is certainly nothing wrong with any of these things until they become the things that we treasure (hold precious and valuable). All these things can disappear from our lives in the blink of an eye. Our economy can fail to the point where we can no longer afford these things. Our health can take a turn overnight, and we no longer have the strength to even care about these things. Someone could even come in and steal our lives from us through accident or violence.
Our earthly treasures are not going to help us in times of trouble or sorrow. Taking time to study God’s word and lay up His promises in Christ will do that and more. As long as we have a mind, losing the things of this world cannot take from us the joy and peace of memories spent in His service to and with His people. Earth’s sorrows cannot drown out the joy of a song of praise in our hearts to the One who has made us and called us with a holy calling.
Jesus’s word is full of simple truth. How do I know where my treasures are? All I have to do is consider the things I think about the most. As the weekend approaches, am I looking forward to meeting with the Lord’s people and worshipping Him more than I am looking forward to my favorite fishing hole or getting in eighteen holes of golf? There is no greater rest for us than to take up Jesus’s yoke and learn of Him.
Dear ones, there is nothing wrong with having nice things. But we need to be careful about being more willing to stretch ourselves thin to have “things” than we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Jesus. We have the utmost security in the love and faithfulness of Christ. Everything else can crumble around us, but He cannot and will not fail!