You Should Save Up Your Treasure

                                                                            

(Photo by Sheelamohan - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

If you've read the Bible much, you'll know that Jesus has been known to made some pretty radical claims.  But just the other day I was listening to a speaker who set me up for a HUGE fall as he taught about Jesus and His view on money.  He noted that Jesus doesn't say, "Don't store up your treasure."  At first, I thought, "Wait, what is going on here?"  Didn't Jesus tell that one young ruler to go and sell all he had, give it to the poor, and THEN to come follow Him (Mark 10:17-31)?  Isn't this the Jesus who commends the woman who gives away her last penny (Luke 21:1-4)?  Yes it is, but look more closely at what Jesus tells His followers.

In Matthew 6:19, Jesus says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures...", but then in verse 20 He says, "But store up for yourselves treasures...".

The key difference?  The location of the treasure.

Don't store it up here, but (as Randy Alcorn says) send it ahead.  I've heard it called the ultimate investment plan.  Jesus tells us to invest wisely, not here on earth where it can be stolen or lose value, but invest in eternal treasure which has an eternal return and where it cannot be lost.

Every dollar we spend shows what we think about our true home and whether eternity is real.

Store up treasure...in eternity.

- tC