Divine Treasure

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matt. 6:19-24, NIV).

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…”

What is our “treasure”?

As God’s children, do we know what should be our real treasure?

The word “treasures” refer not just to money, or material wealth, but also to anything that we highly value, or we greatly enjoy or delight in.

Not only gold or our bank accounts, but we can greatly value our job, family, hobby, friends, ambitions, or whatever material possession. We can also treasure our own personal beliefs, behavior, lifestyle, or even our lifetime in this world.

Does it mean we should not appreciate the material blessings, or whatever favor God allows us to enjoy?

We should enjoy and be thankful for them. But we should not “store up” for ourselves those treasures on earth. We need to be content with whatever God allows us to enjoy.

For anything we treasure, we pursue or seek even relentlessly until we have it. Also, we persist to accumulate it as much as we can. And we are ready to sacrifice or to forego other things just to have what we really value.

God’s Word reminded us that whatever valuable thing on this earth would ultimately be lost – “where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” The “treasures on earth” are fleeting, or temporary. We could not prevent them from being taken away from us. So, they could not bring complete, total, or permanent joy and satisfaction.

We also read in Job 20:20-22, “Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure. Nothing is left for him to devour; his prosperity will not endure.

In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him.”

So, God’s Word tells us: “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…”

Just what do you mean by that? Should we send our valuables in heaven for safekeeping?

Notice the last part of verse 24, “You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Do you get it? “Treasures on earth” represent “Money,” while “treasures in heaven” represent God.

What we should regard as our “Treasure” is the Magnificent God. He is the “treasure in heaven” (Matt. 19:21; Mark 10:21). He is the “…treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:33).

Indeed, we need to value Him highly. And in Him, we ought to delight exceedingly, or to rejoice with Him with an unspeakable joy! Yes, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27).

Now, notice how God wanted Abraham to regard Him.

We read in Genesis 15:1, “After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, YOUR VERY GREAT REWARD.’" He is our Great Treasure.

No wonder the Psalmist declared:

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has NOTHING I DESIRE BESIDES YOU. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25-26). He is the Treasure we should desire on earth.

We also read in Psalm 43:4, “Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.” He is the Treasure we ought to delight in.

Consider also what David proclaimed in Psalm 16:11, “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (NASU). He is the Treasure we can have pleasure forevermore.

Let’s listen to the Apostle Paul: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:7-8).