We live in a world full of distractions. And whether we realize it or not there’s a war going on for our hearts. And even if you’re a child of God you still need to constantly guard your heart and make sure that you treasure Jesus above all.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.
This is such a powerful verse! At first glance though you may wonder exactly what it means practically to store treasures for yourself in Heaven. It means:
1. SHARE THE GOSPEL
Not all of us are called to be full-time missionaries working in a foreign land. However, each of us is a missionary right where we are. We are called to be salt and light for Jesus wherever we find ourselves. This means that wherever you work, or within your family or friends circle we keep the mindset that we are the light of Christ. We are ambassadors for Jesus and can reach others for Him wherever we find ourselves. We need to keep the focus on building God’s kingdom wherever we find ourselves.
2. LIVING LIVES THAT HONOUR GOD
We find this verse in Matthew 6:19-21 in the Sermon on the Mount. So these things that are mentioned in this sermon are some practical ways in which we can live God honouring lives that will store up treasure for us in Heaven.
A few of the practical things Jesus mentioned in this sermon are:
- Being humble (Matt 5:5)
- Pursuing righteousness (Matt 5:6)
- Showing mercy (Matt 5:7)
- Being a peacemaker ((Matt 5:9)
- Being salt and light (Matt 5:13)
- Not giving in to anger (Matt 5:22)
- Staying faithful to your husband or wife (Matt 5:28)
- Giving to the needy without making it known (Matt 6:3)
These are just a few of the issues Jesus addressed in the Sermon on the Mount. I believe it comes down to loving God with all our hearts and loving others because if we love others we will treat them in the right way.
So, in our thought life, our actions and interactions with others we need to keep Jesus as our number 1 and honour Him in the way we live.
WHAT DO YOU TREASURE?
Take a moment and prayerfully ask the Lord what the treasure of your heart is. You can identify this by considering what you spend your time on, what you think about, and how you live. And ask Him to help you surrender more of yourself to Him.
The best part of all of this is that God our Father has not left us alone to try and do all this on our own. We have the precious gift of His Holy Spirit living within. And He enables us daily to walk with Him and not by our flesh.
Galatians 5:16
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”
Daily we need to put our weak hand in His hand and choose to follow His leading. In this way, with God’s grace and help, we will be storing up treasure in Heaven.
Finally, we know that time is short and that Jesus is coming soon. This does not mean that we must just sit back and wait for His return. We need to be reaching out to others and building His Kingdom wherever and however, we can with more fervour than ever before. When our Jesus returns let it be that He finds His children hard at work as we await His return. Remember that the only thing we can take with us to Heaven is people.
Keep your eyes on Jesus and store your treasure in Heaven!