'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. Matthew 6:19-21, NIV

 

How do you measure success in your life? The world around us measures success in what people possess. The famous quote of Malcolm Forbes describes the way the world thinks: “He who has the most toys when he dies, wins …” There are so many things to own these days. There are properties, vehicles, collectibles beyond imagination to gather, etc. Every now and then, a new model is released, making your old model obsolete. This is true of many things. The advertising agencies specialise in creating needs that you did not know you have. They promise a better lifestyle and future if you buy a certain product. And so, we get dragged into a broken cycle where we always compare our worth in material things with our neighbours. We buy things that we do not need. We become the slaves of the things that we own.

 

Our Lord Jesus has warned us against a materialistic way of life, in which we live for things. Jesus warns that we can so easily be parted from our earthly possessions. Our worth does not lie in what we own. There will come a day when we are finishing our earthly journey and then, we will take nothing with us to the afterlife. This calls for a major attitude adjustment in life. If our worth is not found in possessions, where is it found? Jesus says that our worth is found in relationships. We were created to live in a relationship with God. The most important command is to love our Lord with our body, soul and mind. When we are his disciples, following him above all else, we are storing up treasures in heaven. The way in which we obey his commands, by loving one another (John 15:12), makes a difference with an eternal value.

 

Jesus gives us a very important directive for our course in life, in verse 21. He says that our heart will follow our treasure. We spend our time, energy, money and care on the things we love the most. If God is our first love and if we are serious about storing treasures in heaven, it will be seen in the way we choose to live. It will be seen in the way we manage our time and resources. Do I make time to spend with the Lord each day? Am I serious in the way I serve others with the love of Christ? Or am I trapped in the rat race, just surviving to pay my debts? Do I live to collect objects that I do not need? Jesus says there is a better way of life, which holds eternal benefits for us. We find it by following him.

 

Prayer: Lord, you are my first love. Teach me to spend my time, energy and money in a way that I store treasure in heaven. Help me to break free from the daily struggle to make money and to buy things I do not need. Make me free to follow you with my whole heart. Amen.