“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.” Matthew 6:19-20 ESV
My sister is culling her belongings– purging closets, the garage, and storage bins of those “maybe I might need this in the future” items, the “I can’t let go of this memory” items, and the “maybe this is a collector’s item I can sell.”
She does not want to burden her daughter and grandchildren with this task one day. Not everyone thinks this way. When my great-aunt died my mom and her cousin spent weeks cleaning her house so it could be sold. One spare bedroom was filled with old magazines–stack upon stack, year upon year.
Our material belongings are earthly treasures. Often, things we value are difficult to let go, and we mourn their loss whether from natural elements or theft. These treasures might be a set of dishes we inherited or a big-screen TV we saved money to purchase. In Matthew 6:19-20, Jesus warns us not to “store up” (gather, reserve) these treasures filling closets, garages, spare bedrooms, and rented space at storage units.
What Does “Storing Up?” Mean?
To help His disciples understand this concept, Jesus told a parable about a rich man who built larger barns to store the abundant crops his land produced (Luke 12:16-21). With ample goods laid up for many years, he thought he could “relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God called him a fool, because that night he died. All he had worked for was given to someone else.
Jesus said, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God” (Luke 12:21, NLT). This relationship is ours to keep forever, no one else can inherit it.
It isn’t wrong to have “stuff.” For example, my husband and I have backpacks, a tent, and cooking gear for overnight trips into the backcountry. Also, we have kayaks nestled against the house for paddling on a nearby lake. We don’t have gear stockpiled, but just what we need for those breaks from work– those times of refreshing. Our hearts overflow with gratitude as we enjoy God’s provision.
In His Word
While it isn’t difficult to envision physical treasures and the untidy rooms they can create when we accumulate too much, we need God’s Word to uncover the spiritual treasures we are to lay up. Descriptions are scattered throughout Scripture.
One is the opposite of laying up earthly treasures: generosity. In the apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he gave instructions for those who are rich in the present world: “Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others” (1 Timothy 6:18, NLT).
Our attitude toward God is another heavenly treasure. Isaiah tells us the fear of the Lord is treasure. To those who revere Him, He richly provides salvation, wisdom, and knowledge (Isaiah 33:6). A right relationship with God enriches our earthly life as well as our eternal life. Do we bow down to God in obedience, learning His Word so we can practice it?
We want to be heavenly minded, not earthly minded, remembering our soul goes to heaven not our house, clothes, jewelry, cars, boats, furniture, art collection, chef’s range, paddle board, or…
Our faithfulness will be rewarded in heaven (Matthew 25:21).
Walking It Out
What captures our attention and consumes our time defines our treasure. And wherever our treasure is, the desires of our heart will also be (Luke 12:34).
In his gospel, Luke included the lesson Jesus taught His disciples on worry immediately after the parable of the rich fool who built new barns to store his abundant goods. It is the “don’t worry about what to eat or wear” lesson, also found in Matthew chapter 6.
Instead, Jesus taught His disciples to seek the Kingdom of God above all else. When this task is our focus, God will give us everything we need.
“To seek God’s kingdom is to seek to live in accordance with His standards and guidelines,” explains Tony Evans in his Bible commentary. God isn’t where we go when all else fails, writes Evans.1 We seek Him first when we need guidance in decision-making, counsel to handle a difficult situation, mental or physical healing, provision, an attitude adjustment, or refreshing when we are weary.
Let’s be bountiful in good works and all the other actions in the Bible that will cause Jesus to say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” These acts of obedience cannot be taken from us. They are heavenly treasures.
©2025 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved
Resources:
1-The Tony Evens Bible Commentary published by Holman Bible Publishers Nashville, Tennessee.