“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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
You and I live in a materialistic society, with consumerism metastasizing at an alarming rate. Paul Mazur of Lehman Brothers observed, “We must shift America from a needs to a desires culture. People must be trained to desire, to want new things even before the old have been entirely consumed. We must shape a new mentality in America. Man’s desires must overshadow his needs.”1
Our culture preaches a gospel of relentless pursuit for material possessions. There will always be something else we need – or would it be better termed desire? At some point, we need to draw the line. We need to stop living as though we’re staying and live as though we’re passing through.
The Bible reminds us no one is guaranteed tomorrow. Our lives are like a breath, our days like a passing shadow (Psalm 144:4). As followers of Christ, our focus ought to be on the eternal, not the temporal. God calls us to a higher standard of living; lay up treasures in heaven, not here on earth. Earth is not our permanent home – heaven is (Philippians 3:20)
How, then, do we lay up treasures for eternity? By leaving a legacy of faith. Here are three practical steps:
- Invest in prayer (Revelation 8:3-4)
- Invest in your walk with God (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
- Invest in discipleship (whoever is in your circle of influence – 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)
Prayer: Lord, today I want to invest in your kingdom. Draw my attention away from those things that don’t really matter so that my focus is on laying treasures for eternity. Amen.
Thought: Becoming a follower of Christ is not about living in abundance but about abundant living (John 10:10). This is by far a better way to live.
1 https://www.businessinsider.com/birth-of-consumer-culture-2013-2