Where your treasure is

I was talking to a friend recently about things we did to keep ourselves amused during our early school years. We recalled a time when no one had a mobile phone, when there used to be quality cartoons on TV and only our ‘rich’ friends would have a computer. For those who couldn’t be bothered waiting half an hour for the computer games to load from a cassette tape, most of our spare time was spent making our own fun in somebody’s back yard or in a local park.

We would probably all agree that times are significantly different today. In fact, nowadays, the options for people to spend their time, effort and money are almost without limit and most are available at the click of a button. In the main, we might even concede that the way we spend our time, effort and money is of very little consequence to us in the long term. Each of us has 168 hours per week to spend on things that we consider worthwhile; things that we treasure. But I wonder if we have ever taken the time to consider why we value the things we do. You see, the Bible says ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’. Matt 6:21.

We all know that the things of this earth will not last forever. The moth and locust destroy, things decay, rot and rust, stock markets collapse, and thieves break in and steal. So Jesus once said, ‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth’. Matt 6:19. What a challenge for you and me! Are all of our possessions, values and treasures things that can fade away? Will any of our treasures last forever? The Bible says we should not value the things which are seen, because these things are temporary and fade away. Rather, we need to value, treasure and invest in the things which are not seen and are eternal. Jesus challenged us with this question from the book of Mark, ‘What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?’ Mark 8:36. We must not be fooled. It would be a gross deception to say our treasure, hope and salvation are in God if we spend all of our time, energy and money on things of this world.

Let’s stop and think about this. If our preoccupation is with our investments, like houses, land, stocks and shares, then our heart will live and die with our bank account. If we spend our money as soon as we get it, we might be a person who treasures how we feel in the moment. Perhaps there are things we have, which we would find hard to live without. They may or may not be, things money can buy but they are still our treasures. Perhaps we want more of something like spare time, freedom or even world peace. These can be treasures as well. Jesus put the challenge to us all. He said, ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’.

Shem Barnes

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Feature Articles
November 2009

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Where is wisdom?
-Part 2

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Where your
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Strong in the Lord