Daily Devotional

-January 9, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Lay Up Treasures In Heaven-

“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).

Life is all about choices and priorities. Today’s text is a great example of this. We as believers can either lay up treasures on earth or treasures in heaven. The choices we make in this life determine where are priorities are. Jesus said in verse 21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Laying up treasures on earth has so little security. Jesus tells that “moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. We all need money to live on, material things to utilize; we have ourselves and our families to think of. We also must think about retirement and having enough to live on in this world. Money is not the root of all evil, it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. If we live our lives as if this world and this life was all there is, we are no different from our unsaved neighbors and friends.

When we put all our time, effort, money, and others into earthly things, it is an exercise in futility. They will either be lost, stolen, or destroyed. In fact, even if they survive to the end of our lives, we must leave them all behind when we die or at the Rapture. One day this earth will be burned up and all things in it when God creates a new heavens and a new earth.

By laying up treasures in heaven they will be there waiting for us when we go to be with the Lord. They cannot be destroyed, lost, or stolen; and they never lose their value. The question is “how do we lay up treasures in heaven?” It is really quite simple: every penny we give to the Lord’s work is part of it; everything we do for the Lord in His service is part of it; our time and effort that we expend for the Lord and His people is part of it. The Lord knows and sees and remembers. Some believers will have much in their heavenly bank account and some will have little.

The choices and decisions we make show where our heart and priorities are. We must choose to lay up treasures in heaven. Life is so short, eternity is forever. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:1-2, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things on the earth.”

Where is your treasure? Is it on earth or in heaven? It is time to invest in eternity, into winning souls for Christ, serving the Lord, in the Word of God, and in prayer. These things have the greatest value in eternity. Let us labor and invest in the things above not the things of this world.

Have a blessed day investing in eternity. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean