“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 . Store up for yourselves treasures
in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-21)
Consider what Jesus is saying: “Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” Why not? Because earthly
treasures are bad? No! Because the wont last. Scripture says “Cast but a glance
at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to
the sky like an eagle (Proverbs 23:5). Think about it. Whatever you
value on this earth, sooner or later it will disappear. When Jesus
warns us not to store up treasures on earth, it’s not just because wealth might
be lost; it’s because wealth will always be lost. Either it leaves us while we
live or we live it when we die. There are NO exceptions.
Imagine you are alive at the end of
the Civil war. You are living in the South but you are a Northerner. You plan
to move home as soon as the war is over. While in the South you have
accumulated a lot of Confederate currency, Now suppose you know for a fact that
the North is going to win the war and the end is imminent. What will you do
with your Confederate Money? If You’re smart, there is only one answer. You
immediately cash in your Confederate bucks for US currency – the only money
that will have value once the war is over. Keep only enough Confederate
money to meet short term needs.
The Bible gives us inside knowledge
of an eventual worldwide upheaval caused by Christ’s return. This is the
ultimate insider trading tip: Earth’s currency will become worthless when
Christ returns – or when you die, whichever comes first. To accumulate vast
earthly treasures that you can’t possibly hold onto for long is like
stockpiling Confederate money even though you know it’s about to become
worthless. According to Jesus , storing up early treasures isn’t simply wrong.
It just plain stupid!
Jesus doesn’t tell us just where not
to put our treasures . He gives the best investment advice you will ever hear:
Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20). Jesus is all for us
storing up treasures for ourselves. Actually, He commands it. He tells us
to stop storing them in the wrong place and start storing them in the right
place. God expects and commands us to act out of enlightened self-interest. “
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot
lose” - Jim Elliot
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