The Commands of Christ, Part Thirteen

As a kid, “treasure” had a very specific meaning to me. It meant it was a chest of fancy, gold coins, trapped in a hidden cave that could only be accessed using a map found in my attic on accident. It meant going on a journey with a bunch of my friends to find it and along the way running into criminals, a deformed individual named Sloth, traps, adventure and a pirate named One-Eyed Willy. Yes, for me, as a child, I associated “treasure” with the plot from Goonies. As a kid, that’s the treasure I wanted.

I think there’s some part of us that never grows out of that desire for a big break, a financial windfall that wipes away all of our stress and worry. It’s why state lotteries remain popular, I think. We have that hope of suddenly coming into what the modern world might see as treasure. That desire for material things, however, is exactly what Christ is trying to warn us against in Command 13. Matthew 6:19-21 (NASB20) reads:

Do not store 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 neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Now, if we read on past verse 21, Jesus goes on to explain that we can’t serve two masters, eventually we will love one and hate the other (verse 24). He specifically states in verse 24 that it’s impossible for us to serve both God and wealth.

To really understand where this is coming from, we have to look at society as it was back then. Wealth in these days had as much to do with what you owned (livestock, farmland, and material possessions) as it did with the coins you kept. In our modern world, our “net worth” includes our major possessions like our house and vehicles, as well as stocks if we have them, but there wasn’t exactly a stock market or futures market back in ancient times. The desire to acquire wealth was just as strong then as it is today, however.

From my limited study of people, I feel like people choose to pursue wealth for one of two reasons: security or power. It’s not secret that money buys power. Lobbyists use it to influence political decisions, fund campaigns, and run ads anywhere our eyes can see them to try to sway political and public opinion the way they want it to go. Money can pay for a lazy way of life, giving us the power to pursue pleasures instead of needing to work. There’s a lot money can do and most of it isn’t used for good like we’d prefer to believe.

Then there’s the folks who pursue wealth for the sake of security. They go after a better paying job because they want to provide a better quality of life for themselves or their family. Maybe they work extra jobs because bills are a struggle and making ends meet is hard. It may not feel to the people in those situations that they are pursuing wealth, but even if your motivation is to “just have enough” you’re still pursuing wealth.

I’m not trying to call anyone out here; just setting the baseline so we can agree that we’re all guilty of pursuing wealth, even if we’ve never thought to use it for power. So, let me ask this question: have you ever been frustrated with God for not stepping in and magically making all your ends meet? Have you ever looked at your current circumstances, realized you’re not where you thought you’d be financially and then asked God why he’s not helping you get there?

Isaiah 55:8 (NASB20) reads:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

Now, this verse comes right after a few verses about repentance and returning to God and being pardoned. That is one of many examples of seeing the Gospel in the Old Testament. I could probably write a ramble about that, but I’ll try to stay focused. What I want you to understand by reminding you of this passage is that we can’t judge our eternal situation by our earthly condition. Our ways are not God’s ways.

So, pursuing wealth, pursuing material things, pursuing status on earth: all of these things and more equate to pursuing treasure on earth. Stocks can tank and lose their value. Material things can break or be stolen. Reputations can be ruined by the slightest of misunderstandings. When we are pursuing these things, our heart is attached to them and our longing is attached to them. That’s why we get so frustrated when we don’t have them or achieve them.

Now, what does it look like when we are pursuing treasures in heaven? I think to answer that, we have to look at the fruits of the Spirit. If you’re new to the faith or just need a refresher, you can find these in Galations 5:22-23 (NASB20)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

If I set out today to show love to everyone I encounter, whether I know them or not, whether I think they deserve it or not, I open up the chance of them asking why I am showing them love. Then, I get to give them the answer of: “Sometimes it’s hard, but my faith requires me to show love, especially when it’s hard. Can I share more of it with you?” When you choose peace over anger. When you choose kindness over indifference. When you choose goodness and faithfulness over selfishness. When you choose to be gentle rather than harsh. When you show self-control, even when it’s hard: in all of these things you open up an opportunity to plant a seed for Christ, to grow His kingdom.

I often make the statement (and probably have somewhere in this study already) that what I really want when I get to heaven is a super-fancy high-5 from Jesus and for Him to greet me by name like he’s missed having me around. I’m talking about one of those secret ones that takes years to build and master, but never leaves your memory once you do. A special thing that is just between me and Jesus because we’re that close. I want him to look at me and say, “There are so many times I wanted to bring you home early so we could hang out, but I knew your work wasn’t done yet. I’m so proud of you and happy that you’re finally home!”

I can’t tell you with full honesty that I consistently pursue that treasure. I wish that I could. I’m human and I fail just like everyone else does. I put my heart and my pursuit in the very things Christ warns against putting my heart into. I can tell when I do because it brings me out of alignment with Him and when I’m out of alignment, I lose my peace, I lose my joy, and all the other fruits of the Spirit within me start to dwindle. But there’s hope!

When I focus on pursuing that treasure in heaven that means so very much to me. When I am chasing after being like Jesus, doing the work He’s asked me to do for Him while I’m here on earth. Those fruits of the spirit come flooding back into my life like a tidal wave. See, the world and things of this world, they will always let you down eventually. The good feelings from things of this world wear off. The good feeling of being in a relationship with Christ never does.

Before I close, I want to make sure that I address something about treasures in heaven. It’s not the same treasure as on earth. Your heavenly treasure is not a chest full of coins and gems. Christ (probably) is not going to swing into the massive cavern shouting “Hey, you guys!” land on an old pirate ship and start sword fighting your enemies. Your heavenly treasure is not wealth that just happens to be in heaven. If that’s your pursuit, you’re just chasing worldly treasure and trying to take it with you. Heavenly treasure is the reward of spending an eternity with the one who gave everything to give us eternity with Him.