Ask the Preacher

Sender: David Watson

I understand what Jesus meant in Matthew 6:19 about not hording up material things for ourselves here on Earth, but what did He mean in verse 20? What exactly are the treasures that we should lay up for ourselves in Heaven and how do we go about laying them up for ourselves in Heaven?

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The passage reads:

"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 neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Mt 6:19-21).

The last phrase in this section shows what Jesus means. Our hearts should be in Heaven. If our treasure is on this earth, that is where our heart will be. Our whole orientation to life will be what we can get, accumulate, and achieve in this life with little to no regard for the effect this has on our relationship to God. If our treasure is in Heaven (ie. If we treasure God), then our orientation will be our relationship with God. We will only do what pleases God and realize that all we have belongs to God and we are only managers of what belongs to him. We will not be self-centered, but give to help others in order to honor and please God. As we serve God rather than ourselves, we grow in our relationship with God. It becomes something we treasure. That is how we build up treasure in Heaven. It obviously is not literally talking about a bank account in Heaven, but about investing in our relationship with God rather than in things of this world.

So laying up treasures in Heaven means to use the resources entrusted to us to serve God through helping others, supporting mission or church work, being generous, and things of this nature.

John Telgren

P.O. Box 452

Leavenworth, KS 66048

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