Focal passage: Matthew 6:19-24
They say you will never see a hearse towing a U-Haul, but few of us live as though we actually believe this to be true. Just consider for a moment how much we Americans love our stuff. We cram our closets, basements and attics full with stuff.
We spend hundreds of dollars on plastic bins in an attempt to neatly store our stuff. And what’s more, when there is no room left in our spacious stuff-filled homes, we rent storage units miles away in order that we might never have to part with our stuff. There is no doubt – we are people who cherish stuff!
Although I am relatively certain there were no storage facilities in the first century, I have no doubt that even then people wrestled with valuing material possessions more highly than they valued their relationship with God.
In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus addresses how we determine the location of our treasure.
He explains that when our lives are focused on protecting, preserving and accumulating possessions, those temporary treasures will eventually be destroyed and we will be left with nothing.
In contrast, Jesus calls us to store treasures in heaven, explaining, “where your treasure is there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). We are to pour out our temporal abundance for the sake of His kingdom, giving sacrificially of our money, our possessions, or our time to proclaim the Good News of Christ to those who are in need. When we treasure God and our relationship with Him above all else, we will be free to use our stuff for His glory. And when our treasure is heavenly, so too will our hearts be focused on God and our relationship with Him.
What a gift it would be on the last day of our lives here on earth to know that instead of our treasures rotting in neatly organized plastic boxes, they would be fruitfully multiplying to expand the kingdom to make Jesus known in our own neighborhoods and beyond! That would be a treasure worth preserving.