Where Is Your Treasure?

April 18

Deuteronomy 32

Psalm 48:1-7

Proverbs 11:16-18

Luke 12:22-34

Where Is Your Treasure?

“Sell your possessions and give it as charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Luke 12:33-34  LSB

In this passage, Jesus urged His followers to trust in God and in the provision He provides, rather than trusting in the earthly possessions and security the world offers.  He emphasized the relationship between a person’s values and their spiritual state.  The “treasure” Jesus is referring to is what a person values the most.  If our focus is on acquiring material wealth and possessions, status, popularity, and power, Jesus explained to them that their reward would be fully received during their time on earth.  They may experience comfort and ease now, but ultimately those things have no value because they decay and rust and can be lost in a moment. They are tempting and can grab our attention enticing us to pursue them.  We need a car to drive and a roof over our head so we have to work to provide for our basic needs.  We need to save for retirement.  We want to provide a vacation for our family and to give our kids nice things.  All of those things are good and honorable.  But the problem is that Satan is good at making us think that we “need” and “deserve” whatever we want so before we realize what is happening, we have become obsessed with wanting more, more, and still more.  We work longer hours so that we don’t have time to enjoy the things we have.  It becomes a vicious cycle of greed and lust.  The more we focus our attention on the things of this world, the more we want.  Enough is never enough.  Possessions can never bring satisfaction and contentment.  They only create a hunger and thirst for more.  If our “treasure” is on earthly things then our heart will be earthly. 

            Jesus wanted His disciples, and all of His followers, to understand that what He was offering them was of far greater value.  He could provide eternal riches, peace and security.  If we focus our attention on Jesus, He provides for all our needs.  Instead of spending our time and energy trying to gain more things for ourselves, He opens our eyes to the needs of those around us and allows us to be generous with our resources to help them.  We don’t need to be anxious about tomorrow because we recognize that He is looking out for us.  When we place our trust in Him, He changes our perspective so that instead of storing up treasure on earth that will one day be worthless, we store up treasure in heaven that will last forever.  This passage is not teaching us that money is bad.  The choice is not between having wealth, riches and comfort on earth or having those things in heaven.  Satan wants us to believe that those things provide satisfaction and give you a good life.  That is a lie.  Those things are not capable of fulfilling you.  When you get to the end of your life, you realize that you wasted your life on things of no value.  The things Jesus offers provide eternal security, but they also provide a meaningful, fulfilling life.  If our treasure is found in Jesus, our heart will be set on eternal things.  Where is your treasure?