Monday 10th June
Read Matthew 6:19-21
“‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (NIVUK)
When Jesus talks about ‘treasures’ what do you imagine? ‘Treasures on earth’ seems obvious enough. Given what Jesus goes on to describe (v25-34), at the very least it includes money, clothes and food. Anything that can be broken into or broken down, either through outside agencies (thieves) or natural decay (inflation?).
But what about ‘treasures in heaven’, after all we don’t take clothes or food or money with us? There are two stories Jesus told that may help us grasp His meaning. The first, in Luke 16, describes an unjust steward who knew he was on the nose with his master and made some shrewd decisions on his way out the door. He used the wealth he had access to to win friends for himself who would then owe him. He invested in future human capital.
The second, at the end of Matthew 25 Jesus describes those who follow him as a little confused at His claim that they clothed and fed and looked after Him. They used their ‘treasures on earth’ to look after those less well off, and without knowing it laid up wealth that would be credited to them. ‘Treasures in heaven’, at the very least, includes investment in relationships and people.
You could literally consider them the ‘B’ and ‘E’ of the BELLS! How are you going with storing up ‘treasure in heaven’?
