The Christian’s True Investment
Eleven days of rest. Too busy here. It's good that, somehow, because of the heavy rain, we can now take a break. In my case, I can resume publishing Rev. Sang Ho Bae's expository series on the Gospel of Matthew. This time, his text is about wealth:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6: 19-24).
The Lord taught in Matthew chapter 6 what the essence of true faith is. By giving the representative acts of piety—almsgiving, prayer, and fasting—as examples, He revealed that true faith is practiced not before people but before God, and that it looks not to the praise of people but to the reward God gives.
Next, the Lord says that a believer’s faith must also be clearly shown in the way he uses material possessions.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal (Matt. 6:19–20).
The Lord makes clear that the use of wealth is a matter of faith that reveals the direction of one’s heart.
The Lord said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.” This means that storing up treasures on earth is, in the end, not beneficial for us. People often regard accumulating wealth as something done for themselves, piling up money for a better life, a safer future, and a more comfortable old age. But Scripture warns that as wealth increases, the heart may waver, the conscience may weaken, and faith may grow dim. The problem is not money itself but the love of money. When one begins to crave more even after one’s basic needs are met, wealth becomes our master, and a heart that has lost contentment endlessly demands more and exhausts the soul. In the end, such greed turns wealth not into a blessing but into a snare that weakens faith.
The Lord commands us to “store up for yourselves” treasures in heaven. Outwardly, it may seem like a call to devote ourselves to God, but in reality, it is a deep consideration for our soul. Offering and almsgiving are not merely good deeds but acts of faith that store up treasures in the kingdom of God, and ultimately they are an eternal investment for oneself. In contrast, treasures stored on earth are not eternal. Moth and rust destroy them, thieves steal them, and war or disaster can take everything away in a moment. Therefore, a life that stores up treasures in heaven is the safest and the wisest choice.
The Lord said, ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (Matt. 6:21). The way one uses wealth is like a spiritual compass that reveals where one’s heart is directed. The Lord does not forbid a believer from becoming wealthy, but He warns against wealth capturing the heart and becoming the basis of one’s hope. Colossians 3:2 commands, ‘Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’ A person who looks toward heaven uses material possessions in a manner fitting to that faith.
To store up treasures in heaven does not mean to abandon material possessions. What the Lord meant when He said not to store up treasures on earth was not to forbid earning or saving money but to teach how and with what heart we must use material possessions. We need material things in this world, but they are given not only for food, clothing, and shelter but also for doing good. Helping orphans, widows, and the poor; serving the church; and devoting oneself to the work of the gospel—just as Scripture teaches—are precisely the life of storing up treasures in heaven. The Lord said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40).
A person cannot go to heaven with wealth, but he can send treasures ahead to heaven through his wealth. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6, “Do not put your hope in wealth, which is uncertain… do good… 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” (1 Tim. 6:17–19). Using wealth in accordance with God’s will is a sure way for a believer to prepare for eternal reward.
The Lord said, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matt. 6:24). The issue of wealth is not merely an economic issue but a matter of faith. A citizen of heaven seeks not the treasures of this earth but the treasures of heaven and prepares the eternal kingdom through the material resources the Lord has entrusted. A life that stores up treasures in heaven is true wisdom, and this is the view of wealth of a citizen of heaven.
For the AI-generated song version of this article, check Where Your Treasure Lies.