Treasures On Earth

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.  

Matthew 6:19-20 

How does Christ view the tangible and the temporal? As He preached the Sermon on the Mount, He took the time to explain the difference between the temporal and the eternal. Our text is a summary statement to help us learn His perspective. True spirituality is seeing things from God’s perspective. If we are to learn to do that, we will come to such a text as this and examine what He says here and compare it with other statements which have bearing on the subject. As He begins this statement, He cautions against a preoccupation with the tangible and the temporal. He is not advising that we take vows of poverty, or refuse to provide for our families under pretense of doing ‘the Lord’s work.’ He is really speaking to the matter of the things upon which we rely, thinking that those are the things that will guarantee us a good life. He is saying that if we make the gathering of the tangible, temporal things our primary goal, we will become preoccupied with what can never last. This does not mean we ignore the provision of basic necessities, but, that we do not become obsessed with these things. Christ takes the macro view of what matters. He is setting before us what matters less as opposed to what matters more. As we look to Him we begin to see more clearly.  

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that You teach us what is important. 
We praise You that as You guide us in our understanding, 
we learn to place emphasis upon the things that really matter.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning