“For where your treasure is , there will your heart be also.”
Mathew 6:21
Have you ever taken time in your day to see what you spend the bulk of your time doing? Jesus tells us in Mathew 6:19-21: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Have you taken time to look at your life and see what you are spending the bulk of your mental energy and time focusing upon? If you were to look at your life and see how much time you spend in the things of God, versus how much time you spend in the things of this world what would that look like? Jesus tells us that what we treasure, is what our hearts will focus on.
If you find the bulk of your time is spent pursuing God, reading His Word, praying in the spirit, immersing in Him every moment that you can, then that is where your heart will be. Does that mean that you don’t go to your job or do your work? Of course not. What it means is that you always have God’s kingdom and way of doing things on your mind. When you are at work, you keep God foremost in your mind as you do your job. When on break, it’s a good time to open His Word and hear from Him. However, if you find that the bulk of your time is spent doing something else and you fit God in here and there throughout your week, then whatever it is your spending the bulk of your time doing is your treasure. That treasure has then taken first place in your heart because it is what you are spending your time pursuing.
Some have interpreted this scripture to mean that we are not supposed to be wealthy, because Jesus tells us not to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth. However, this is not what Jesus meant. We know this because the scripture tells us in Psalm 112 that in the house of a righteous man are wealth and riches. Proverbs 10:22 says: “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow [toil] with it.” We also see time and again in the bible from Abraham, to David, to Solomon, and more, how God made them extremely wealthy.
What Jesus is talking about is not the money. He is talking about your heart and your mindset. What are you pursuing? What do you spend the bulk of your time doing? Whether someone is rich or poor, they can fall prey to the same wrong attitude about money that Jesus is addressing in the above scripture.
1 Timothy 6:10 says: “For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
When people love money and the pleasures and power associated with it, then over time they could end up spending the bulk of their time working for and then maintaining that wealth. Over time, because they are so caught up in the pleasures that comes with that wealth, they can end up spending more time pursuing and maintaining that wealth than they spend pursuing God and the High Calling He has called them to.
Jesus tells a parable of the seed and the sower, where the seed represents the Word of God. In one part of the story He says: “He that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he become unfruitful.” Mathew 13:22
If someone is operating in this mindset and they are poor or struggling to maintain, then their pursuit for wealth, their love for money manifests as worry, or “care of this world.” They spend the bulk of their time working to just try to make ends meet. Their main focus is on the need for money. They think that if they can just get enough money to pay their rent, or whatever other need they have, then everything will be better. They in essence make money their God. They spend the bulk of their time thinking about it, worrying about it, and chasing after it. Instead, if they simply change their focus onto God and trust Him, He will make them wealthy. Yes, they are still to be diligent in their work, but their focus is changed. They spend their mental energy thinking about God, pursuing God and the blessing that comes from that. As a result, He makes them rich and there is no sorrow (toil) with it. They are resting in Him.
If someone who is struggling financially continues in the mindset of chasing after money (instead of after God), then when they finally do get wealthy, they will now spend all their mental energy maintaining that wealth. They also can then get caught up in the pleasures of this world and now focus more on enjoying the pleasures that money and wealth afford and can get distracted from what God has called them to do. God wants us wealthy. However, He doesn’t want us chasing after wealth or the pleasures it affords. He wants us chasing after Him, so that the wealth can then chase after us. See Deuteronomy 28:1-14
This is why when Jesus called the rich young man to sell all of his things, give to the poor and follow Him, the man was sad. He couldn’t do it. His money was his treasure. The pleasures, security, power and enjoyment that money provided for him was choking him from receiving fully from God and being fruitful in God’s kingdom. Jesus was calling him into the ministry. However, he was so used to money being his God, that he could not take that step of faith and sell everything and trust that the same God who blessed him the first time around, would bless and increase him again. His trust was in his wealth, not in God.
When we make God the total priority in our lives, where nothing else is as important to us as spending time with Him in His word, then everything else will come into place. HE will provide all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Whatever it is that He’s asking us to give up for Him, He will replace in abundance. When we switch our focus from the worldly cares and pleasures to God’s kingdom on earth, we can them truly become fruitful in His kingdom. He wants us to bear much fruit, not just a little fruit. As we make His kingdom our priority and take care of His house, HE will surely take care of our house!
Determine in your heart to put God first in every area of your life. Take a look at your week, and ask yourself how much time are you spending in God’s word and in prayer compared to all the other things that you are doing. How much time are you focusing on the things God has called you to do, versus on other distractions? Take some time in this new month to determine to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. As you do, God will provide you the wisdom, insight and everything you need for each day.
Mathew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Philippians 4:19
“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 112:1-3
“Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his rightouesness endureth forever.”
Further reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Mathew 19:20-30, Mathew 6:19-34, Mathew 13:1-46
