Matthew 6: 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal; 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also "
Within the framework of the well-known "Sermon on the Mount", which is found from chapters 5 to 7 inclusive of the Gospel of Matthew; Jesus gave these words to his audience. Well, I would like this exhortation of Jesus to be established in your heart and in your spirit, in such a way that it produces profound changes in your actions and in your Christian growth.
First, let's look at the meaning of the central word of the previous teaching, Treasure: It is a set of goods that are considered of great value. Treasure: The action of accumulating goods of great value, accumulate wealth.
Then let's see what Jesus says: DO NOT accumulate goods and riches on earth, where everything gets old or spoiled, and where you can also be stolen. On the contrary, it accumulates wealth in the sky where there is no corruption or theft.
And you, what do you spend your time, effort, skills, talents and energy? Jesus said that all of the above you gave him to the task of accumulating wealth in heaven, but the decision is yours. I, personally, believe that there are many very good Christians, very sincere in their faith, but who really dedicate all their enthusiasm, not to say, their very life, to accumulate earthly wealth.
Now, I would like us to understand what Jesus said and what he did not say as well. Jesus never declared that earthly treasures were evil or that they produced some kind of evil; What he said is that we should not dedicate what God has given us such as abilities, talents, time, energy, etc., to the task of making these treasures, because they are finally transient.
But there are also other implicit teachings contained in these words:
- There is a heaven
- Treasures in heaven
- Treasures in heaven are made on earth
- It is not wise to engage in making temporary earthly treasures
- It is smarter to dedicate yourself to treasure in the heavens