Matthew 6:19–21 (NASB95)
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
As the New Year approaches it is common to take stock of our use of resources and see if we need to make some adjustments for the next time around the sun. In two commands Jesus here helps us cut through all the misaligned priorities and clear the decks to embrace what really matters. Please consider the following rationale:
- Our walk in this frame of life is limited to a discrete number of days.
- Our experience in the eternal state after this life is without end.
- The decisions we make in this frame affect our future eternal treasury. Today’s choices affect eternity’s bank account (Mt 6:20).
- Therefore we must adopt a constant view that looks for eternal impact from our temporal decisions.
As you contemplate just what it means to “store up treasures in Heaven” I want to bring an axiom to the discussion: the way one accumulates is through the use of resources. “Store up,” literally “treasure up”—θεσαυροω, THESAUROO—means to save, to squirrel away, to amass. The amassing of wealth requires either saving what one already has or spending it on something to save. There is really no other option.
So here’s the very challenging question to stimulate our obedience to Jesus’ loving command of maximum heavenly wealth: what are you storing up? What treasure? As I look at life, I think we generally agree that life itself is most precious. We arrange entire industries and gargantuan endeavors to the preservation of human life. People spend vast portions of their personal wealth to afford themselves a little more precious time in this dying tent of a mortal body. So, one might first think it wise to treasure up time. Well, you can’t. That candle wick is burning whether you are using the light or not!
If I cannot save time, then I must spend it. What will I spend it on? I suggest taking the route of currency exchange. There is no time left over when you come to the end of your life. Your account will show a zero balance for time in this frame of life when you enter eternity. Since you are absolutely stuck spending your time at the rate of sixty seconds per minute, why not use it to buy heavenly treasure? Of course that’s the best investment with our most precious resource. If I invest my time in God’s eternal wealth, I won’t align my life around the acquisition of money. “Mammon” is such a horrible return for the priceless time which composes our fleeting lives. Yes, work, and work hard, but don’t slave for mere money! Money has a really short shelf-life—one human lifespan. Eternal wealth has no expiration date.
Is there such a thing as a “money value of time”?
Here again is the great question of questions: how do I trade my time and resources for heavenly treasure? What is the treasure? It should not really be surprising to us that heavenly riches for believers arise from God’s judgment on our “deeds.” You see, as a believer your life in Christ is hurtling forward to a wondrous evaluation of all your choices, and Jesus Himself will recompense you for these expenditures of your resources:
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NASB95)
10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Do the math. Eternal treasure is infinitely better than earthly wealth because you cannot take the latter with you, and you can never use the former up—ever. I implore you to pay attention to God’s orders. We know from what He has said what He wants us to know, to be, and to do. We have His Spirit in us to enable our obedience through His grace. And yet we still must choose. Don’t sell your life cheaply for mere earthly pursuits. Let’s orient to eternity and make our decisions as though they matter eternally, for they do.
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