Lay Up Your Treasures In Heaven...

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:20-21

Today’s devotion focuses on the goals we have set for ourselves along the journey of life that we travel… As a child of God your main goal is pleasing the Lord; this is obtained by living today’s focus verses daily instead of speaking them verbally… The things that you cherish most are often times the things that your heart desires and the word of God reminds us throughout its pages about the importance of our heart… Remember in the Old Testament when Samuel was sent to anoint David as king, the Lord told him that “the Lord looks at the heart…” I recall this to our attention to reinforce the point that no matter what you do with the life that God has given you, every action will be judged by the motivation which came from your heart… This is why Jesus tells us to lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… You have to have your heart focused on the Lord if you want to achieve and accomplish the divine will that He has designed and ordained for you… It wasn’t until Jesus was taken up from this earth that the disciples begin to realize that the true reward wasn’t here on earth but in heaven… As we study these verses, we must come to realize just as the disciples whom walked with Jesus; that we are not working for a reward we can receive in this lifetime… We may say promotions, we may say increase we may see abundance, but we are never to mistake these things for the true richest that God has stored up for us in heaven… In the blink of eye people can change, situations can flip-flop and jobs can be lost… This is why we are told to “…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal…” The term, “here today and gone the next” does apply to this life and all that we can obtain in it; however as a child of God we are promised not only victory, but we are assured that once we are in the Father’s hand, nothing in this world or outside of it can pluck us out of His grace and mercy… We are protected and our salvation is secured… I don’t know about you, but if you are secure in Christ and nothing can remove you from his protection; then why wouldn’t you store your entire treasure in Him…? I ask this question today, because so many of us confess the power of God, but try to store up our own treasures and become slaves to things of this world… We say we love God, but the inward being desires to build security on this earth which is never secure… This is why money can never by happiness or why searching for answers in this life will only lead us on a wild goose chase… The answer is in Him, the security is in Him and all that you need can be found in Him… So, today we examine what is more important to us… Is it to prosper in the world or to prosper eternally? Matthew records that we should lay up our treasures in heaven because moths can’t corrupt and thieves can’t break in and steal our treasures…

This implies today that nothing on this earth is safe and that there is no guarantee on anything that we have… To make this simpler, Matthew is calling for us to stop living according the standards of this world because we are told that this world will indeed pass away… Your treasures on this earth will not travel with you nor buy you a mansion in heaven… So many today have become focused on worldly gain and have put their faith on the back-burner of life… Notice what Matthew says, where you store your treasure is where your heart is; where is your heart today? Is it trying to please man and fit in with the standards of society? Is it that your heart is succumbing to peer pressure and corruption, or is it in the hands of God holding to His will and plan for your life? Let us examine ourselves today and take note of what motivates us in the morning, is it a paycheck, or the fact that God gave us another day on this earth? There are many who are rich financially but not spiritually and sadly their finances will leave when the body returns to the ground! This is what Matthew is saying; don’t put your eggs in the basket of the world because eventually you will lose all that you thought you gained… The devil wants you to think that you have all you need, but when your life is required what will you have to offer God! He isn’t worried about how much money you made, but how many souls you helped with it! He’s not worried about the house and car your have, but how many people you allowed a place to sleep or gave a ride too… Don’t become spiritually poor by becoming worldly rich! These things will pass, and in the end you will give an account for all that you have done! Let us understand that money is not evil, it’s the love of it… God wants you to prosper, He wants you to be comfortable; however, He does not want money to control your life and your decisions… When Matthew speaks of the Moth and thieves he isn't just referring to riches, but he is also talking about your soul… Your heart is exposed wherever your treasure lies… If you have placed your treasures in the world, then your heart is exposed to the world and the world will attack you, damage you and ruin you; just as a moth and thieves! Remember John 10:10 says, “the thief cometh not, but to steal, kill and destroy!” The thief is stealing you household, he’s stealing your blessings, and he is stealing your chance to have eternal life… Don’t allow him to steal anymore, place your treasures and heart in God’s hands knowing that you will be safe and covered for all eternity… Jesus said that when you are in the hand of the father no man can pluck you out… Place your treasures in God’s hand, it’s the safest place for you to invest!

BE BLESSED!!!