
Matthew 6:19-21
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
I went to a funeral a few days ago. It was the funeral for a very godly and respected man named John. The family and the pastor and all who shared about the life John had one single common theme: John knew Jesus and it was John’s greatest desire that everyone he knew have a relationship with Jesus too. His son, Rick, shared that it is more important to John that we make sure everyone hears the Good News about Jesus Christ more than about John’s life at that funeral. And that’s what happened. The Good News was preached that day. And the family brought up the fact that the thing this dad and grandpa was most proud of was that he shared Jesus with every single one of them. People shared how John regularly gave time and money to several people, several ministries, practiced hospitality regularly, and made a practice of mailing out “I prayed for you today” postcards to people all the time. He his spent his time during his life showing people what Jesus looks like.
And that is what storing up treasures in heaven looks like.
What exactly are the treasures that will be in heaven? How do we get them stored there anyway? We’re not like the Egyptian Pharaohs who buried their earthly possession with them. We all know that when the graves are excavated thousands of years later the king’s body has disintegrated, but the possessions are all still there. So these heavenly treasures can't be concrete items.
When God talks about his treasures, he refers to it as his people in Deuteronomy 7:6. For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. Believers are treasures to God.
I would like to store up people in heaven. My husband, my children, our parents, our families - those are my treasures aka: the most important, precious, and valuable things to me. Even the mailman, co-worker, or a stranger in the grocery line that I show Jesus to and share the Good News with would be welcome treasures to see in heaven. Being like John, using all my time and resources to make sure people know Jesus so they will be in heaven - these are treasures that will reach the destination of heaven. Oh, how happy are the families who know they’ll be united with their loved ones again!
Hey! Jesus is a person, and he’s already there in heaven! And we now have this light (Jesus) shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. Being united with Jesus is a treasure waiting for me in heaven.
And Colossians 2:3 says, In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The more I know about God and what he thinks and how he operates, the more Believers will be storing up for themselves a good reserve (treasure) for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real according to 1 Timothy 6:19. God's Word is a treasure that I can take with me. I can know it now and it will still be with me when I'm in heaven, not like my body or my clothes that will definitely still be in the coffin. God's Word is in heaven and I will know there what I know now and then some!
Everyone knows that “you can’t take it with you when you die.” But clearly, God is showing us what treasures we can take with us when we die and go to heaven. We can take true wisdom and knowledge (what I know about God here, I will also know there), and we can take PEOPLE!
Dear God,
Thank you for your Word! Thank you for showing me now what is important to accumulate, and help me to be to be diligent about storing real treasures, real truth, real knowledge, and real people in heaven for all eternity. Thank you for John’s life, a great reminder that I need to use my time and resources to show others Jesus and that I need to send people cards telling them I’m praying for them. What a great legacy for him to leave behind. Thank you that I got to know him. I love you and pray continued comfort and peace for his wife, Sandra, and their kids and grandkids. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.