Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT) – “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasure in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
We all remember the infamous Gollum from the Lord of the Rings who was possessed by his desire for the ring. It was his obsession with it that led him, and even others, to do almost anything to obtain it, even affecting his physical appearance, and ultimately leading to the loss of his own life for it.
Although Gollum is an extreme, fictitious case, this passage in Matthew shows us how Jesus was warning his disciples against being slaves to things that can be lost and destroyed. Storing treasure in heaven – all that we give to Him, all that we do in His name, those truly precious things that are not seen – cannot be stolen, do not perish, and last. As Jim Elliott put so well, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Responding to the transmitted message: At the end of this passage, Jesus goes on to say that we’ll desire what we treasure most… Let’s confess to the Lord together that He truly is our greatest treasure, thanking Him for all that He has done for us. Then let’s pray for our church that God would fill each of us with His desires and that we would live today storing treasure in heaven.
