Where Are Our Treasures?

Recently we were reading Matt 6.19-21 in our devotions. I was especially challenged by our Lord's words in verse 21: 'For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also'.

The cosmic perspective into which this passage fits is the heaven-and-earth milieu (that dominates all of holy Scripture). Jesus' teaching challenges his hearers to assess their attitudes and heart-commitments in the light of heaven.

Sadly, at least 'down-under', the idea of heaven is blanketed by the passing parade of 'the moment'. Only impending death or close misses focus minds enough to consider a possible 'afterlife'. However, quickly we go back to working ourselves to death (Prov 23.4-5); perhaps with brief recourse to 'amusing ourselves to death' (as Neil Postman called it) with television and mobile phone games.

For some time I've noticed the absence of talk about 'heaven' and the 'resurrection of the body' in some Christian circles where it was once dominant. Many Christians seem to be comfortable with this present world and what it offers.

The Matthean passage's focuses on 'treasures' or riches of two types. The first type of treasures are are susceptible to the effects of moths and rust for these can spoil them. Thieves can also steal them. It is evident that they are things like money, precious metals or things made out of metals, desirable goods and garments.

The second type of treasures can be stored up in heaven and there they cannot be tarnished, degraded or stolen. 

What are these 'treasures'? In 1 Tim 6.17-19, Timothy is told to command those who are rich in this present age, 'not to be haughty', 'nor to trust in uncertain riches' but,

in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

To be 'rich in good works' is a gracious state because it reflects the character of the God who gives richly to all mankind. In Acts 10.38, Jesus is said to have gone around, 'doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him'. 

Jesus reflected the character of His heavenly Father and so should we in every area of life and particularly to those who are of the household of faith.

We may not be millionaires but we have enough to do 'good works' with what we have. Good works cannot wash away our sins - only the blood of Jesus can do that - but good works are the outworking (Eph 2.8-10; Phil 2.12-13) of becoming a child of God (Jn 1.12). 

Keeping The Heart 2

John Flavel (1627-1691) was a great puritan preacher who, along with more than 2000 other ministers, was turned out of his pulpit in The Great Ejection of 1662. He famously wrote, Keeping The Heart which is a mastery exposition of Prov 4.23.

'Keep and guard you heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life' (Amp).

Like all the Puritan writers his work is dense and doesn't lend itself to easy summarisation. However he opens his short book which can be found here on the internet with these words:

The heart of man is his worst part before it is regenerated, and the best afterward; it is the seat of principles, and the fountain of actions. The eye of God is, and the eye of the Christian ought to be principally fixed upon it.
 

The greatest difficulty in conversion, is to win the heart to God; and the greatest difficulty after conversion, is to keep the heart with God. Here lies the very force and stress of religion; here is that which makes the way to life a narrow way, and the gate of heaven a strait gate.

Keeping The Heart

Proverbs 4.23 is a key text for reminding us about the centrality of our spiritual hearts. The spiritual heart can be understood as the 'inner person'.

Proverbs says, 'Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life'. Although variously translated the importance of the heart remains clear in all of them.

In one of Jesus' sayings, he taught that a person is not defiled by what he eats.

What is defiling is what comes out of his mouth from his heart (Mark 7.20). Such things as, 'evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness' and 'All these evil things come from within, and defile the man' (vv21-23).