Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Laying Up Treasure: Heaven on Earth

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray “Your kingdom, come! Your will, be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). The kingdom of God is the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven.

A few verses later, Jesus tells us to lay up for ourselves treasures, not on earth, but in heaven. On earth, they are subject to loss, corrosion and theft. But in heaven, where the will of God is always perfectly fulfilled, there is not loss. The system of the world is to lay up treasure for ourselves on earth. People hide it in their sock drawers or stuff it under their mattresses, or put it into banks and various accounts, and then trust in it to meet their needs. Then when times are tough and the “rainy day” comes, they look to it to be their source and savior. Often, they discover that it is not adequate for the job; then they have to learn how to live with lack, or else barely squeak by.

The system of God’s kingdom, where His will is being done on earth as it is in heaven, is very different. Jesus tells us to lay up treasure for ourselves in heaven. Instead of trusting in our financial resources to meet our needs, He tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and all our needs will be met (Matthew 6:33).

Laying up treasure for yourself in heaven is seeking the kingdom of God and His will being done on earth as it is in heaven. It is all a matter of where you are placing your trust—on earth or in heaven. When we trust in heaven, we will see the kingdom, the will of God, and the treasure we have laid up there manifested on earth.

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