Do not lay up for yourselves treasure 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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
The discipleship of the present world-system teaches us that we must sock away our treasure on earth if we want to be secure. But that is trusting in our riches and soon leads to our enslavement, for we become servant to whatever we place our trust in. Jesus tells us to stop doing it.
In the Greek, the text reads something like, “Do not treasure up for yourselves treasure on earth.” There is nothing wrong in having treasure; the problem is where we choose to keep it. Jesus tells us to treasure up our treasure in heaven. Then He gets to the heart of the matter:
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.Your treasury can be a great blessing or a great disappointment. The key is the attitude of your heart. If you store up your treasure on earth and set your heart only on the things of the world, it will soon let you down. It makes a poor master and is not worthy of your trust.
Both your heart and your money were made for better things. God wants to do something powerful and world-changing through them:
And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers. (Deuteronomy 8:18)The Hebrew word for “get” literally means to do, to make. In other words, God gives us the power not only to get wealth, but to create wealth. He does it for a specific reason: That He may establish His covenant. God has a covenant — all those who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ are a part of it — and He is in the business of establishing that covenant on the earth. Our ability to create and get wealth has the potential to bless the earth because it has the covenant-establishing purpose of heaven.
Some people think that laying up treasure in heaven is for when we die—then we’ll go to heaven and get to enjoy all the treasure we’ve laid up there. But that is not what our treasure is about. We will not need any of that treasure in heaven, for there is no need or lack there. We need the treasure here and now, but we need it to be blessed with the prosperity and purpose of heaven.
- All those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ have been “born again” (John 3:3), literally “born from above,” that is, from heaven.
- Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
- Jesus authorized us to command the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
- Jesus said, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).
- Jesus said, “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19).
Treasure laid up on earth will lead to poverty. Treasure laid up in heaven will lead to prosperity on earth as it is in heaven. There are many ways to lay up your treasure in heaven, but here are a few ideas to help you:
- Sow your tithe into the work of God’s kingdom. The tithe is a tenth, not the last and the least but the first and the best, of all your increase. God will not only bless that first 10%, but the other 90% as well.
- Give generously to the poor and those in special need. God always honors that and will pay you back with interest.
- Treat every financial transaction with godly integrity.
- Pay your bills from your treasury in heaven. Invest some prayer and faith into the process and expect divine blessing to come upon everyone involved.
- Be a good tipper. Let the generosity and prosperity of heaven direct you in prospering others even in this small way.
- When prices increase at the pump, in the grocery store, in your utility bills or wherever else, don’t panic. Look to your Father in heaven and expect His prosperity to take care of all your needs.
- Call for the kingdom of God—His rule and reign—to come and take over in your finances. Command His will to be done on earth, in and through your finances, exactly as it is being done in heaven.
- Understand that your treasure is much more than your finances. It includes your time, your talents, and everything else in your life.
- In all you do, discover the purpose of heaven and let that be your purpose as well.
The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew
by Jeff Doles
Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”
Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.
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