The Bible tells us to lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. This is true wealth. So many people have departed from the Christian faith because of love for money, whether it be paper money, gold and silver, real estate, et cetera. It's not a sin to invest; but it is a sin to become engulfed with making money.
1st Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
I'm so sick and tired of hearing greedy men talk about buying gold and silver. They make it sound like you can't live without gold and silver. I say, you can't take it with you.
Jesus taught us to lay up treasures in Heaven "where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." Any wealth you may accumulate in this world is vulnerable.
Thankfully, they cannot touch our heavenly rewards. This is exactly why Jesus told us to lay up treasures in Heaven. Notice that Jesus mentioned 3-culprits who rob our wealth:
- Moths
- Rust
- Thieves
No matter what material possessions you may have, they will deteriorate over time. You can buy expensive clothes, but they will fade and develop holes in them over time. As you wash your clothes, and wear them, they will become old, torn and unwearable.
If you buy a home, termites will eat away at it, fire will consume it, a tornado will blow it away, or criminal bankers will steal it by forfeiture.
If you buy a fancy automobile, it will eventually rust, parts will break, seals will dry rot, the interior will fade, the chassis will sag and engine parts will wear old. You can buy a new car every few years (if you can afford to do so), but you'll have to continue buying cars, because they will wear out. No matter what you buy, it will become old and brittle.
Jesus said that our heavenly treasures WON'T rust, nor will our clothes wear old and torn, nor will things become old and brittle, nor will the possessions we own become broken and unusable. This is quite an amazing truth. The material things which the Lord will give us in eternity will last, retain their good condition and be free from damage. For this fact, Jesus encourages us to work to lay up treasures in Heaven. Amen!
There is nothing more frustrating than to go to work, earn a paycheck, buy something one's heart desires, and enjoy it for a short time; but then a thief breaks into your home, car or storage area and steals it. Stealing is a sin forbidden in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:15). There are many thieves in this world, most of whom wear white collars and sit behind a desk.
It's not the petty thief breaking into your back door that you need to worry about the most; it's the criminal bankers, tyrant government and crooked lawyers who will take away your wealth. There is a way to thwart all of them—by laying up treasures in Heaven where they can't steal them from us.
So this begs the question: How does one lay up treasures in Heaven?
First, you must be a born-again Christian or you'll never see Heaven. Salvation happens when a person acknowledges their guilt of sin, and comes to God on the basis of being a hell-deserving sinner; believing on Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, to forgive their sins.
Second, as a Christian, everything that you do for Jesus' sake or the Gospel's will be rewarded.
So many people these days are absolutely consumed with making money. It's their life. Although they may enjoy the splendors of this temporary life, they won't have much in Heaven, if they're even going to Heaven.
The greatest treasure in Heaven will be the souls of people saved through the preaching of the Gospel. That is the greatest treasure of all.
