there your heart will be also...

what is treasure? 

do we have a clear picture of what a treasure is? 

do we know what it means to truly hold a treasure? 

or do we see things as merely possessions?

Jesus talked to the crowds about what it means to have treasure, and more importantly, what we need to hold as a treasure, and what we need to hold onto as merely a temporary possession.  

“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."[Matthew 6:19-21]

this verse is typically discussed in a context of money and possessions and getting more when we enter the gates of eternity.

but what if it is more than that?

what if storing treasure in heaven is more than trying to get a better job, bigger house, or another jewel on  your crown? 

what if the treasure is Jesus himself. 

what if this treasure is investing in our relationship with Jesus, so that when we step into eternity, we can behold the One we have loved our whole lives - and really KNOW Him. not just know of Him. 

the definition of treasure is as follows:  

{wealth or riches, stored or accumulated. valuable things. any thing or person, greatly valued or highly prized. to regard or treat as precious- (high cost, worthy, esteemed)...}

the verb definition of treasure is "KEPT CAREFULLY".

so if Jesus and our relationship with Him is the treasure- we must ask ourselves...

have we regarded Him as valuable? 

have we treated His presence as something precious? worthy? of high cost?  not something to be thrown around and taken for granted? 

and the one that steals my heart the most. have we kept carefully our relationship with our beautiful Lord? 

do we fully grasp and understand the honor and weight of being able to talk to, love, relate with, hear from, and spend our lives with the King of the universe? 

its nothing to be taken lightly. it truly is something we must treasure. 

how do you treat something that is a treasure? 

look at stories those who hear of a hidden treasure and the measures they go to find it. 

they seek out the treasure. 

with a detailed plan. 

with intentionality. 

with passion. 

relentlessly until they find it. 

going against all odds and opposing forces. 

fighting off anything or anyone that would come between them and their treasure. 

and when they find the treasure they had been seeking...

they are in awe that they actually found it and have something so precious in their grasp. 

they protect it. making sure nothing and nobody steals their treasure. 

they value it. its not just something to leave laying on the ground, to come back to when you decide you want to use it. no. you value it, use it. 

and they keep it close. being careful not to lose or devalue it. 

what would it look like if we sought out Jesus is such a way, and protected our relationships with Him to the point of it being our literal treasure? 

your treasure is your attitude toward your possessions. It is whatever you most eagerly strive to attain. It is that which you most dread to lose.

the most important reasons that Jesus gives us for storing up treasures in heaven is found in verse 21 - "where your treasure us, there your heart will be also." 

the word "heart" is used to indicate the core of our being, the wellsprings of all we do. (which is why Proverbs 4:23 instructs us with - "above all else, guard your heart. for it is the wellspring of all life.") 

so when Jesus says "where your treasure is...", He means that the entirety of our being is wrapped up in our treasures. our hearts are set on what we most highly treasure. and where we place our treasure is where we will set our affections. our hearts follow our treasure, not our treasure following our heart. your treasure determines the position of your heart. 

where is your treasure? 

you can recognize your treasure by the things you think are the most important to you, what you believe you cannot live without, what brings you the greatest joy and satisfaction, and what consumes your thoughts. you might be willing to part with other things, but you hold your treasure close to your heart and will not give it up for anything or anyone.

you are committed to that which you treasure, and you will invest in what you are committed to. the things we treasure give our lives direction. what we treasure occupies our minds and holds our emotions. its is the common theme of our conversations. it governs our time with planning, goals, and dreams about our treasure...and drives us to fulfill the dreams associated with our treasure.

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

and where your heart and treasure is will determine what your life is a reflection of. 

1 Timothy 6:17-19 {Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.} 

when your treasure is Jesus, you begin to look more and more like Him. 

Paul understood this reality, probably more than anyone else. 

Philippians 3:7-12 

{But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ — yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.} 

he lost everything. 

why? 

because he understood the worth of knowing Christ. 

he gave up everything because his heartbeat was for one thing, and one thing alone. 

I WANT TO KNOW CHRIST. 

nothing else could compare to the worth of knowing Christ. 

Jesus is the treasure. 

and where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.