TREASURE OF THE HEART
“Where your treasure, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
When I was growing up I loved those adventure stories about the pursuit of hidden treasure. Iconic tales of intrigue, deception and unlikely conquest, stories like treasure island or the lost wealth of Solomon’s mines. They didn’t need to be true or believable – the imagination was enough. Actually, I still love a good adventure story!
There is something captivating about the idea of stumbling on hidden treasure. These days it is unlikely to take the form of a perilous journey to a dangerous destination. It is more likely to imagine ourselves the unlikely winner of a lottery competition or a windfall through a TV game show. It’s as though such a scoop would change the fortunes of our life!
The thing with those old adventure stories was that such a pursuit of treasure usually came at considerable cost. People frequently lost their integrity, if not their lives! When our hearts are captivated by an unrealistic and unworthy goal, the path to it is strewn with wreckage.
Hence the words of Jesus, to be careful what we treasure, for our hearts, our innermost selves, will follow. Psalm 19 speaks of God’s words to us as worthy of being treasured: “they are more precious than gold, even much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb”.
A comment I wrote in my journal this week says, “when I cultivate my heart for God I am releasing my heart from its slavery to earthly treasure”. This is not an instant fix or a once only choice, it is a lifelong quest and a daily call. It is as much of an adventure as an old time treasure hunt! I will never be fully free from the love of earthly treasure in this life, but I can contain if I place the focus of my heart where it belongs.
One thing that helps me is giving some of my earthly treasure back to God, week by week (through the church and in other ways). When I do that I am releasing my heart, because I am reminding myself in a tangible way where my true treasure lies, and hence my future.
The value of the treasure we have in God’s kingdom is unparalleled. It makes the largest of Tattslotto payouts seem miniscule. Jesus says it is like finding treasure hidden in a field, and the person finding it “in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matt 13:44).
What treasure are you seeking for right now? It is wise to have a financial budget and to plan for expected as well as current need, but if this becomes our hearts first desire, then we have missed the mark, and the end will be disappointment. God’s word helps us cultivate a treasure in our hearts that will not disappoint us, but will be for us “treasure in heaven” (Matt 6:20), an inheritance which is eternal.