“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
Jesus was quite concerned over our relationship with money. He well understood that either we own our stuff or our stuff owns us! Money and possessions aren’t bad in themselves, but too easily they come to dominate our hearts and thoughts. Good and godly people can have a deeply ungodly relationship with money. It too often becomes the primary thing we think about when we have very little and when we have plenty.
All the treasures of this earth will inevitably leave our possession one day. This is 100% certain. They will get spent, lost, spoiled, stolen, taxed, traded, or we will die and they will belong to others. However, we can choose to have a different relationship with our money and the treasures we receive in this life. We can choose to invest heavily, generously, and sacrificially in the work of God’s Kingdom: supporting local churches, planting new churches, supporting those who take the Gospel to the far ends of the earth, caring for the poor and most vulnerable, expressing the love of Jesus Christ.
When we do these things in the name of Jesus, our treasure leaves our grasp, yet far greater reward awaits us in heaven. Yes, we will be “poorer” in terms of our bank balance, but our lives will be much richer in terms of those we have blessed. We will have less money, but will have more peace because we know it was used well for God’s glory!