WHAT IS YOUR TREASURE?

Matthew 6:19-21
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.

What do you treasure? Make a list. Then open your checkbook. Does your list match up with the money spent? Our checkbook (and credit card statements) will tell us where our heart is because that is what we spend our money on. You have heard the saying, “Put your money where your mouth is.” Are you saying all the right things but your money doesn’t back you up?

Is your treasure: Things? People? Power? Fame? God? Do you know what your heart wants? Do your actions line up with your heart? How do you spend your free or spare time?

If God is your treasure; if winning souls for Christ is your treasure; if reaching the lost is your treasure; then your calendar and checkbook will show it. Do you pray for the unsaved? For the missionaries? For your church? Who or what do you pray for? If a stranger were to watch what you spend your time and money on, would they know that you are a Christian?

Our heart breaks when we see pictures of people that are suffering or being killed for their faith. What do we do with that? Do we turn our backs and go on our merry way to the mall? If our heart was truly broken, we would do something. Maybe make a donation to one of the many causes that will help those people. Maybe we could pray for them . . . earnestly pray, not just a quick prayer and then forget them. Maybe we would send ourselves on a mission trip to bring them the good news. We would do something with our time and our money.

But, you may say, I go to church every Sunday and I even give money to my church. Doesn’t that show where my heart is? Not exactly. What happens on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday . . . what things do you treasure on those days?

When you get up in the morning, determine to notice exactly what your heart desires. At the end of the day, look back on all that things that you noticed. What did you do with your time? What did you spend your money on? Are you able to see what you treasure? Are you okay with what your heart desired? If not, are there changes you can make?

What do you treasure on Sunday morning? Sleep? After a long week of work, sleeping in on Sunday sounds good. Do you sleep in so late that you miss church services? No problem, most churches have their services available online – you could watch it once you get up. But, do you?

What about a devotion time with the Lord? In many cases it means getting up earlier in order to make that time. Do you hit the snooze button and promise to spend time with God later in the day? But, do you?

If we are only focused on ourselves, then that is what we treasure. If we want to do something, we will find a way, the means, and the time to do it. So the question is – What is your treasure? Is it God or something else?

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture verses are from the New King James Version of the Bible.