Matthew 6:20-21, “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.”
People of God, as strangers and pilgrims on earth, while we use the things of this world, we should not form attachments to them. Many pursue and hoard treasure on earth – things they want but don’t really need, things that depreciate in value as moth and rust destroys.
In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus gave a serious warning about the dangers of laying up treasure without being rich towards God when He told the Parable of the Rich Fool. When the rich fool had no room for his perishable crops, he pulled down his barns to build bigger barns thinking that he could, “eat, drink and be merry.” Yet he lacked an eternal perspective and that night his soul was required of him. The sobering question remained, “then whose will those things be which you have provided?”
This parable teaches us that if you are too attached to money, you will be greedy or unwilling to give freely. Therefore, the best way to keep treasures of this world from our hearts is to be a generous giver. But this can only happen if we willingly detach from the things of this world because you cannot serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).
If you are too attached to the things of this world, you will not give freely and fully. One of the best strategies God has given us to manage the temptations of being too attached to the material things of this world is to give them away.
The best way to manage treasure is not to treasure it in your heart. So be a good giver – first to God, then to your fellow man. It is not about how much but how well you give. Give with your heart! Stop storing up treasure here on earth and start storing up treasures in Heaven because time is short.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, grant me a loving heart, a will to give and share. Help me to have an eternal perspective so that I manage the treasures here on earth responsibly. In Jesus’ name, amen.