You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.

Preachers have used this old saying for years to explain a simple fact: You can’t take anything
with you when you die.

No one can bring material wealth into eternity. Heaven and hell don’t have banks or parking
garages. Money and belongings aren’t any good to someone six feet under. What you have won’t
change your circumstances when you die. No amount of possessions gives us a better or worse
position after life.

Jesus warned us about this when He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moths and vermin 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 ...” (Matthew 6:19-20).

2 Ways You Can “Store Up Treasures In Heaven”

1. Avoid obsessive accumulation.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with wealth. God’s the one who generously gives people
success with resources and money (Ecclesiastes 5:19). But when we become more concerned
about the gifts rather than the giver, possessions become toxic and pointless (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Obsession with wealth ruins our relationship with God and with other people.

God cares more about the condition of our hearts than the condition of our wallets. That’s why
He shows us what’s best for us and our possessions:

2. Stockpile what’s valuable in heaven.

If our stuff stays here, what treasure will we have in heaven? There must be a difference
between our possessions and what’s valuable in God’s economy.

Our time on Earth is temporary, and we’re all headed to eternity somewhere. We can make the
most of everything now and prepare for an eternity with God later by listening to Jesus and
doing what He says.

Our eternal perspective affects our earthly priorities.

What’s valuable both now and in eternity is what God cares about: treating people right,
forgiveness and loyalty (Matthew 23:23, Micah 6:8). We’re meant to use possessions and love
people, not love possessions and use people. Our eternal perspective affects our earthly
priorities.

We can choose to focus our lives on temporary wealth, but God offers us treasure that lasts
forever: a relationship with Him that begins here and continues for eternity in heaven. What will
we benefit if we give up on what really matters to get a few more possessions? Nothing’s worth
more than knowing Jesus.

You probably heard the saying, “You can’t bring it with you.”

For most people, this declaration can mean differently. It could be used as a reminder or a
source of comfort.

When I hear these words, I usually reminded of the passage written by one of the Apostles of
Yahshua/Jesus Christ. Though written thousands of years ago, its profound meaning still rings
true today.

We read:

“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. For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Such a POWERFUL statement from no other than our Savior and Master, Jesus Christ.

Though this verse is somewhat popular among Christians today, only a few really grasp its deep
and valuable meaning.

What does it mean to lay up treasures in heaven?

This is the question that we will answer through this blog.

What is your treasure?

We are commanded by Jesus that we should NOT lay up for ourselves treasures on earth.

The first thing we should ask, what is the treasure that we hold so dear?

According to Thayer’s definition, the Greek word for treasure in this verse is thesauros. It refers
to “the place in which good and precious things are collected and laid up.” It could be “a casket,
coffer, or other receptacle, in which valuables are kept.”

Treasure, in this context, is simply material wealth. It can be money, precious stones,
possessions, and other properties. It can be any possession that we hold valuable to us.

Why must we not lay up treasures on earth?

Matthew 6:19 gives us the reason why we must not lay up treasures on earth:

“Where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.”

Here’s the wisdom that we must all take heed.

Christ is telling us that it is in vain to lay up treasures on earth. Why? Because of the mere fact
that they are just temporary.

If our main goal in this life is to accumulate treasures on earth – to gather as much material
wealth as possible – then we are making the BIGGEST mistake of our life.

Jesus would later add:

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul” (Matthew
16:26)?

There’s no doubt: our earthly treasures are subject to decay.

They will NEVER last forever.

There will always be “moth” and “rust” that will destroy our property. The soonest a beautiful
palace is built, the soonest it will start to decay. Even the most amazing and astounding
masterpiece ever made by the human hand will eventually lose its original glory.

Now, moth and rust are not just the things you need to worry about. You also have to protect
your wealth from thieves. For it is inevitable for treasures to attract criminals and evil people.

I was reminded of a quote that perfectly describes the problem of wealthy people:

“The richer you get, the more people will help you… spend your money.”

It sounds ironic, but it’s true.

So, even if you evaded moth and rust, which is tremendously difficult, you need to deal with
“thieves” in the form of criminals, fire, flood, war, natural or man-made disasters, illnesses, and
death.

WORST OF ALL, the moth, rust, and thief can be YOU. Riches and worldly glory can make a
person proud, haughty, and rude.

WEALTH can potentially corrupt a person’s character. We all know of someone who became a
different person just because he was given wealth and power.

So, you don’t have to watch out for the things that destroy from the outside, but you also need
to watch out the things that destroy from the inside.

Why must we lay up treasures in heaven?

Thankfully, Jesus Christ did not simply tell us what we must NOT do, but he added what WE
MUST DO.

He said:

“But LAY UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES IN HEAVEN, where neither moth nor rust destroys and
where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Nothing can be clearer than that. Our Lord and Master wants us to lay up treasures in heaven.

Why?

Because heavenly treasures are ETERNAL!

Moth and rust can’t corrupt it. Thieves can’t steal it. Calamities can’t destroy it.

In other words, our treasures in heaven are safe in the hands of Yah/God.

II Corinthians 4:18 plainly tells us:

“While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the
things which are seen are TEMPORARY, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Now, the question is:

“Which will you choose, earthly treasures which are temporary or heavenly treasures which are
eternal?”

Obviously, we want the eternal treasure. However, how many times in our lives have we put
more importance on our earthly treasures?

We look at our car, house, money, electronic gadgets, and other material possessions as
permanent. They are the things that we can see, hold, and smell. Our human mind fools us into
thinking that they are the ones that will last forever.

So, what do we do? We spend countless hours, day in day out, chasing the wrong things in life.
We work seven days a week just to live the “life we always dreamed of.”

We tell ourselves, “If only I have this and that, I’ll be happy. I’ll be satisfied.”

But when we finally get what we want, we still feel empty. We continue in our never ending
pursuit for material things and look for other things that can satisfy our hunger and thirst.
Jim Carrey was quoted to say, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything
they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

Here’s the truth: there’s an empty hole in our hearts. Material things can’t fill it. Only the
spiritual things that we get from God can fill the void.

Is it wrong to obtain material wealth?

If we are admonished to lay up treasures in heaven, then is it wrong to accumulate material

possessions?

The answer to this question is NO.

God, Himself, promised that He will bless us and will give the desires of our hearts when we
delight in Him (Psalms 34:7). One form of those blessings is material wealth.

The key to understanding the message of Christ is found in verse 21. It tells us:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Yahshua, or popularly known as Jesus Christ, is telling us that the heart follows your treasure.
Wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be.

There’s no problem in aiming to better your life. One of the reasons that Christ came to earth is
to give us life and to have life more ABUNDANTLY (John 10:10).

Our goal is to follow God. The treasures that God gives us should not be the end of itself, but
only the means to an end.
The material possessions that we have must be used for the glory of God. It must not be used for
our selfish ambition.

There’s nothing wrong with working hard to earn a living. But it becomes a problem when you
don’t have time anymore for prayer, Bible study, and fasting just because you are too busy
chasing your earthly materials.

There’s nothing wrong with having a beautiful house or a brand new car. But it becomes a
problem when you idolize these materials.

There’s nothing wrong with having so much money. But it becomes a problem when you put
your trust in your bank account instead of God.

I hope you get the idea already.

If we put more importance on worldly materials, then that’s the time when we must remember
the admonition of Christ to lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.

How do we lay up treasures in heaven?

Now that we see the importance of laying up treasures in heaven, the natural question is, “How
do we do this?”

This blog isn’t enough to give you a detailed answer. But let me just give you a summary
statement from our Master.

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:21).
Here’s a powerful statement of Christ. If you want to have treasures in heaven, you must “sell
what you have and give to the poor.” He also added, “FOLLOW ME.”

The verse here isn’t saying that we must sell ALL that we have. The young ruler here had an
attitude problem. He idolized his possessions to the point that he became greedy. He forgot to
help the poor and do what is good.

In short, his heart is trapped in his earthly treasure.

If we want to obtain heavenly treasures, we must be ready to make sacrifices. We need to do

what God commands us to do. We must always be about our Father’s business.

Finally, Jesus said to follow Him!

If we dedicate our whole life following in Jesus’ footstep, we can obtain heavenly treasures that
no one can take away from us. All the good things we have done for the glory of God will be
written in the book of remembrance (Malachi 3:16).

Even if you combine all the wealth in this world, they would be NOTHING compared to the
treasure we accumulate in heaven.

Final words

I hope you now have a deeper understanding of what it really means to lay up treasures in
heaven.

Jim Elliot once said:

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Yahweh/God expects us to put Him first in our lives (Matthew 6:33). We must not exchange the
things that are eternal for something that’s temporary. We must always focus on the reward that
is laid for us at the end of our Christian race.

So, be strong. Keep the faith. Do what is right and you will surely have treasures in heaven!

My Reflection for Friday June 20, Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 6:19-23

Gospel: Matthew 6:19-23

(Jesus said to his disciples) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also
will your heart be.

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness,
how great will the darkness be.”

++++ ++

Reflection:

Will it be OK with us if we remain materially poor but spiritually rich? Yes, without any second
thought, what are we to do with all the material things of this world if we have no God and if we
are empty spiritually? Everything that we have is worthless no matter how expensive it is if we
don’t have God in our lives.

Material possessions can fly away from our hands anytime; we have no hold on it. Material
possessions also drives us away from God it slowly but surely sucks us away from our firm belief
of God and we must be wary of this.

Material possession per see is not bad for the simple reason that it could really help us alleviate
our wellbeing. But on the same vein we must not also allow it to take control of us. We must
take control of material possessions and not material possessions controlling us.

Let us take a closer look at ourselves and reflect for there may be signs of enslavement of
material wealth in favor of God. For example, if we sacrifice our time for God in favor of our
work, if we allow material wealth to corrupt us in favor of our love for God. Then these are sure
signs that we allow material wealth to get hold on us rather than God.

Whether we like it or not all of us will be at the threshold of mortal death someday. Where shall
we go then if all we do is to embrace the hedonist lifestyle of this world?