19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Does this give anyone else the itch to clean out the closet – purge the bulging attic – or rid ourselves of the overstocked storehouses? Jesus furthers our enlightenment by giving us a wonderful parable against treasuring excessive hoarding in Luke:
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’” 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21 (NIV)
10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Eccl 5:10 (NIV)
Our life does not to consist in the abundance of our possessions – life is vastly more important than the accumulation of mere material things. We are all created for a far greater purpose than simple self-indulgence, greed, the hoarding of wealth and the desire to be satisfied by the created rather than the Creator. The words Jesus used translated “store up” in our verses for today comes from the Greek word “Thesaurizo” meaning to gather and to reserve. Our Lord warns us against storing up that which is temporal – placing our hearts upon what our eyes can see and our hands can grasp all of which will rot, rust and in the end prove not flame retardant! On the other hand, Jesus tells us we are to store up for ourselves what will make it through the fire when our works and deeds will be tested by the flames. Our works are not to be temporary or valueless rather of the highest quality and enduring. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians we are to be careful how we build:
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Cor 3:10-15 (NIV)
“Heaven and hell are as certain as tomorrow’s sunrise, and the last judgment is as real as this week’s balance sheet.” Robert J. Morgan
4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Prov 11:4 (NIV)
Is our heart earth bound or heaven focused? Do our treasures lie in the wealth of the world or the eternal treasures above? The heart will follow its treasure just as the sunflower the sun. Love and affection, value and esteem are placed on what one treasures. We are to watch the way we live our lives - it will show us what we highly esteem. It is not hard to discover if we have the courage to look – how do we spend or invest our time – how do we spend or invest our resources. This is definitely not just about money, it is about all the gifts we have been given. We are merely stewards and it is valuable for us to remember that truth.
18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. Deut 8:18 (NIV)
8 “'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty.” Hag 2:8 (NIV)
“Being generous with your money is a personal quality of someone that the grace of God has gripped. Why? Because the essence of the Gospel of grace is generosity. Jesus Christ gave up the Greatest Treasure in the world. He gave away his treasure when he left the most affluent gated community in the universe, heaven and all its glory, became poor, so that we might become rich. He gave up Ultimate wealth—Himself, for you. ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’, he said and lived. He also said you cannot serve God and money, it’s impossible. You have to choose. Only by the power of the Gospel of grace can you begin to be generous”. Tom Wood
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 1 Tim 6:17 (NIV)