Most people quote the Bible incorrectly concerning this Scripture passage in Matthew 6:21, which is also repeated again in Luke 12:34. Most people think that the Bible says, where a person's heart is, there will there treasure be also; but that's not what God said at all. It's the opposite! The treasure doesn't follow our heart; but rather, our heart follows our treasure—whether it be a career, a family, or a large accumulation of wealth in the bank.
So many people have committed and centered their entire life and career around amassing lots of wealth and laying up for old age. Most people who go to become lawyers, doctors, and pursue other high-paying specialty professions do so to make lots of money. No doubt many are in denial, for to have making money as a goal is shallow (and it certainly is). The shallowest goal in the world is to pursue money, which the Bible clearly warns us about in 1st Timothy 6:-8-10. Sadly, many people exploit Christianity to make money. It shouldn't be that way. Money should never be the primary issue, and in most cases shouldn't be an issue at all. I hate money because of what it does to otherwise nice people. Money turns people into monsters, overtaking them with greed and senseless compelling urges to horde everything they can.
To me, there is nothing sadder than a person, or a married couple, or some group of people, who think that a pile of money in the bank is a great accomplishment in life.
I went to buy some groceries the other day and heard an advertisement aired over the radio, promoting a local bank that were offering a retirement plan. The commercial spoke gleefully about retiring in style one day, without any humility toward the fact that life is not guaranteed by God (Proverb 27:1).
Life is what happens to us while we're making big plans for the future. I heard in 2011 about a musician acquaintance I had known for 20-years in St. Louis. He was only 52-years old and went jogging one day with his wife. He died of cardiac arrest while running. Death often comes unexpectedly.
The greatest things in life are not things.
God wants us to rely upon Him for everything. He never said we'd be rich, only rich within Him. He never said He'd spare us trials. He also promised us peace that would pass all our understanding, and joy to comfort us in our pain. It seems that the Lord made it so that you can't have faith without doubt. Life often takes us to places where we never thought we'd end up. God wants us to rely upon Him for everything. He told us that the world would hate us and try to kill us (John 15:19). Boy, that just makes you want to run out and become a Christian doesn't it? Who wants to be hated by everyone?
It's all a part of faith in Christ. Jesus was willing, eager and joyful to go to the cross to suffer, bleed and die in our place for our sins. Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” As believers we ought to be willing to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Only God knows when our time will be up, but it could come soon. The beautiful thing to remember is that the death of His saints are precious in the sight of the Lord. Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” What an awesome and precious Scripture!!! In a mainstream culture of death in America, where over 51,000,000 precious gifts from the Lord have been senselessly slaughtered in abortuaries all across America, life is not viewed as being precious to people anymore. American culture loves death!
Children are always a gift from God. Conception is a miracle that only God can make happen. Psalm 127:3, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Life is precious to God, and the death of every believer is a happy time of rejoicing in Heaven, because another soul has been rescued from the gates of Hell. The death of every child of God is precious in the eyes of God. Think about this truth if you have any fear of dying as a believer. It is precious for many reasons—we'll get to meet the Lord in eternity, our trials and sufferings will cease, there'll be no more sin and temptation, all pain will be gone, et cetera. What a day that will be!
The Bible teaches that our heart will be where our treasure is at. The more we serve God and lay up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:20), the more our heart will be set upon the things above where Christ is seated on the Father's right-hand (Colossians 3:1-6). Most people have invested their treasure in earthly interests, pursuits and wealth; but they couldn't care less about the things which are Jesus Christs (Philippians 2:21).
The Bible has much to say about serving God. Luke 8:15 says that believers who have an honest and good heart heed God's Word and share the Gospel with the lost. Romans 10:15 says that the feet of the soul-winner are beautiful to God. Do you have beautiful feet, or spiritual gout? If we preach the Gospel and strive as Christians to lay up treasures in Heaven, then our heart will be there also. The reason why so many people's hearts are cold toward the things of God is because they spend all their time and resources trying to lay up treasures here on earth. For what? What will anything matter 100-years from now when we are in eternity? All that will matter then is that we died IN THE LORD, and that we served God with our life as Christians.
Certainly, eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15, 6:23) and has absolutely nothing to do with living a good life or serving God. If you acknowledge your debt of sin and believe upon the name of Jesus, Who is the Son of God, the Christ, then you are saved (John 20:31). Salvation is totally of God. Our part is only to trust upon the Lord for the forgiveness of sins. Everything else pertaining to our salvation is God's department and He will attend to that rest assured.
Our reward in Heaven as believers is a separate matter. 2nd Corinthians 5:10-11 teaches that every believer will give account to God for the GOOD and the BAD. Jesus paid our sin debt in full so we could be saved. Salvation is receiving, not giving. It is the gift of God. Albeit, our rewards in Heaven will be determined by our service for Christ and the manner in which we lived each day.
Daniel 12:3 teaches that some believers will shine as the brightness of the stars forever, i.e., those who turn many to righteousness. Obviously, all believers won't shine in eternity. I think this simply means that the soul-winning Christian will have many converts in Heaven who are thankful for their witness for the Lord. Those believers who selfishly live in sin and never lift a finger for God won't have any converts, no changed lives, no impact made for Christ while they lived upon the earth.
This is what Jesus meant when He told His disciples that he who keeps his life shall lose it. The Lord was speaking to His disciples (Christians) when he taught that. Most believers sit idle on their blessed ASSurance, never sharing the Gospel, and are consumed with making more money and enjoying this temporary life to the fullest. It is those believers who sorrow, toil, suffer, work, and pray their way through this life to reach others for Christ who will be the happiest in eternity. If all believers will be equally happy on Judgment Day, then why serve God at all? No, most believers will weep bitter tears of regret and sorrow; but one day, after the 1,000-year Millennium, a time will come when God shall wipe away every tear and make all things new (Revelation 21:4). This is as much information as the Bible provides to us.
The Judgment Seat of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:9-11) will happen BEFORE the literal Millennial reign of Christ from Jerusalem. The Judgment Seat of Christ occurs during the 7-year Tribulation Period, immediately following the Rapture (i.e., “caught up” in 1st Thessalonians 4:17). So chronologically first occurs the Rapture when Christ returns FOR His own, then the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb for all believers (during the 7-year Tribulation Period upon earth), then the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth WITH His own (Acts 1:11), then the Millennial reign of Christ from Jerusalem, and then The Great White Throne of Judgment for all unsaved throughout history (Revelation 20:11-15).
May I encourage you to invest in eternity by laying up treasures in Heaven.
