What Is Treasure?

What does treasure mean to you? Is it money you save up? Is it valuables you hide in the rooms and closets of your home or put on display for others to admire? Is it good grades, or likes on a screen? There are lots of things we can treasure. But in Matthew 6:20, Jesus invites us to a different way. He says, Store your treasures in heaven. But what does that mean?

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Jesus explains, Don’t store up treasures here on earth (verse 19) where everything falls apart or gets stolen. Instead of being devoted to earthly treasure, our loving God wants our hearts to be devoted to Him (verse 24). He is our true treasure. Knowing Him is the only thing that will fill our deepest longingsHe treasures us, and we don’t need to do anything to earn His love.

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If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we are God’s people, and now everything we do out of love and service to Him builds on the treasure we already have in knowing Him and being part of His eternal kingdom (Ephesians 1:3-8; 3:8; Colossians 2:3). Basically, as Christians, it’s not what we do that stores treasure in heaven, but who we do it for. As we follow Jesus with our lives, He helps us store up heavenly riches that will last forever. Through His Holy Spirit living in us, Jesus is making us more like Him and empowering us to show others His amazing love.

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Things like money, success, and popularity come and go, and they can only last as long as our lives on earthor even shorter. But the treasure found in Jesus lasts for all eternity. In other words, anything we build can be torn down, but the kingdom of God cannot be torn down. As Christians, our hope isn’t in our possessions or our status in society or our accomplishments. Instead, our hope rests in the work of Jesus: how He died on the cross and rose from the grave and how He promises to return and make all things new and dwell with us forever.

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Maybe right now you don’t have much earthly treasure, or maybe you have a lot. Just know that all of that earthly treasure is temporary, and it won’t satisfy you anyway. Jesus is the true treasure. He is inviting you to come to Him and live a life that is truly meaningful by loving God and loving the people around you (Matthew 11:28-30; 22:34-40). A. W. Smith

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What things in your life do you consider to be treasure? Why are these things important to you?

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How could the good desires associated with these things (desires for safety, strength, relational closeness, knowledge, wisdom, beauty, etc.) point us to Jesus, the One who ultimately satisfies these desires through His kingdom and His family?

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Store your treasures in heaven. Matthew 6:20 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Matthew 6:19-Matthew 6:34; Matthew 13:44-Matthew 13:46; Matthew 19:21