Laying Up Treasures on Earth or in Heaven? (Part Two)
In the last article I addressed the matter of laying up treasures upon earth. The Lord Jesus Christ exhorted His disciples not to focus upon the physical—that is, the temporal. The person whose life is consumed with the things of this earth will be greatly disappointed. Even King Solomon admitted in Ecclesiastes 2:11, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” Man cannot satisfy his hunger for more things with what the world has to offer. Ecclesiastes 6:7 says, “All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.”
Instead, the Lord instructed His disciples to focus upon the spiritual—that is, the eternal. The Lord said in Matthew 6:22, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” The word “single” speaks of a disciplined focus. Second Corinthians 4:18 reads, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Just as a farmer puts blinders on a horse so it will look in one direction, so the Christian must put on spiritual blinders and fix his gaze beyond this life. The Lord went on to say in Matthew 6:22, “If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” The last phrase, “full of light,” means full of good works, which means the Christian is consumed with laying up treasures in Heaven. He realizes he cannot take the treasures of this earth with him—his lands, investments, possessions, or securities. His knowledge of God’s Word has convinced him that the safest place for his investments is in the eternal work of God. So what does he do? He sends his investments ahead by investing in God’s work. Matthew 6:20 becomes a reality to him—that’s where Christ said, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” This profound truth needs to sink into the hearts of the Lord’s people. Laying up treasures in Heaven is our given opportunity. And one of the ways we can lay up treasures in Heaven is by giving back to the Lord a portion of what He has so graciously given to us.
Throughout the Scriptures we find that men of God gave back part of what the Lord had given them. The Bible provides many examples of such men, including Abraham and Jacob in the Old Testament. This principle of giving to the Lord is found in the New Testament as well. In 1 Corinthians 16:2 we are instructed, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” You may be asking how much you should give to the Lord. Well, there are only two ways that a person can give to the Lord. Second Corinthians 9:6 says, “But this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” The sad reality is that many people give very sparingly to the Lord. This has always been a problem, even during Bible times. For example, when the Lord sent manna from Heaven to the children of Israel in the wilderness, He specifically instructed them to gather only what they needed for that day and not to keep extra for the next day. But according to Exodus 16:20, “Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank; and Moses was wroth with them.” The children of Israel had a stockpiling mentality, just like so many Christians have today—they wanted to keep more for themselves. Proverbs 11:24 says, “There is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” The Lord will not bless the person who gives sparingly. He wants us to give unto Him bountifully; He honors the Christian who gives in this manner. Proverbs 3:9, 10 reads, “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” We should always give bountifully to our Lord, and we should also give cheerfully: 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
Whenever I give cheerfully, I acknowledge that everything I have is because of the Lord’s goodness to me. My attitude therefore is one of gratitude, love, affection, and devotion. May all of us lay up treasures in Heaven with this Biblical attitude!
Evangelist Jerry Sivnksty may be contacted at PO Box 141, Starr, SC 29684 or via e-mail at .
(Originally published in FrontLine • September/October 2014. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.)
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