For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The heart always follows and fixes itself where its treasure is placed, so treasure laid up in heaven draws love and desire toward God and heavenly things, while treasure laid up on earth binds the heart to earth and to what is temporary and easily lost. It stands as a test between two masters, for no one can serve both God and worldly gain, and a heart set heavenward keeps the vision single and full of light while a heart set earthward makes it evil and dark. Treasure in heaven is secure and imperishable, kept by God where flood and fire cannot destroy it, consisting in knowledge of God, a Christlike character, faith and love, and eternal inheritance in the renewed earth. It is laid up by putting means, time, talents and influence into God's work and by using them to bless the hungry, the poor, the sick and the needy, which turns thoughts toward God, counteracts selfishness, and keeps the reward sure. Laying up treasure on earth by hoarding money in banks, lands, stocks and worldly enterprises is forbidden, for it draws the heart earthward, dulls understanding of eternal truth, chokes the word, and ends in grasping shadows and losing eternal life.
Words and Immediate Context
The saying belongs to the Sermon on the Mount, spoken especially to the disciples while the listening multitude also heard. It was given in plain, accessible words, spoken with authority as a sure foundation for faith and practice. That sermon contradicted the doctrines and practices of the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees. It is simple enough for a child to study without being misled, and it teaches with the authority of God. To instruct new converts in the claims of God's law therefore requires having the spirit of the law in the heart and impressing its far-reaching principles as taught there, for without that heart work labor is lost.
The word was spoken as standing in the highways of life looking upon a world under the enemy's power, upon men endowed for good but degraded by self-serving, upon busy crowds passing and repassing in eager search for worldly riches yet meeting failure after failure. It seeks to arrest attention and point upward to the unseen world and heavenward, because multitudes mistake phantoms for realities and men who should be engaged in God's service follow delusions ending in successive failures. The highest good is where God is, so the call is to secure the treasure that will endure forever and to respect reasoning powers and reckon upon the eternity of bliss it is the privilege to gain.
Earthly treasure is laid up on earth where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal, vulnerable to decay and theft, while treasure laid up in heaven is secure. Earthly wealth is perishable and cannot be kept secure, while treasure laid up in heaven directs the heart toward what is eternal. The treasure is therefore to be laid up in heaven where neither moth nor rust corrupts and thieves do not break through and steal, and not laid up on earth where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal. The warning is given because of how strong the human inclination is to accumulate earthly treasure, spoken in the highways and byways of life to draw attention from temporal interests to spiritual realities. It bids honor and obedience to the laws of the kingdom of heaven with unselfish aims glorifying God, showing how fallen man may inherit eternal life and become prince and king in the heavenly courts, heir of God and joint heir with Christ.
The saying stands with the single eye that fills the whole body with light against the evil eye that fills the body with darkness, and with the rule that no one can serve two masters and cannot serve God and mammon. There are two masters, God and the world, and it is impossible to serve both, for if interest in and love for this world predominate, love of the world excludes love of God, the most worthy things are not appreciated, the highest interests become subordinate to worldly considerations, and God does not hold as exalted a place in affection and devotion as worldly things do. Where money is placed decides whether the mind is directed earthward or heavenward, for investing entrusted means in worldly enterprises and schemes to please and glorify self keeps the mind constantly earthward and brings no returns worth having. An earthward heart makes the eye evil like that of the slothful servant, so the whole body is full of darkness, instead of single to the glory of God and full of light. If treasure is laid up on earth, temporal things secure the first place in the affections, but if treasure is laid up in heaven, the Lord is kept ever before the mind's eye.
The world and its charms constantly invite attention, but heeding them does not bring happiness, and gaining the whole world profits nothing if the soul is lost. The warning therefore invites seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and laying up treasure in heaven that moth and rust cannot corrupt and thieves cannot steal. Treasuring heaven means directing the heart toward God rather than serving worldly wealth, for a person cannot give full allegiance to both God and mammon, a warning applied to those whose pride and self-sufficiency grow when they gain power and whose choices reveal where their hearts are set. If brain and nerve and muscle are employed in service of self and all energies are put on the side of the world to heap up earthly treasure for self-glory, God and heaven are not made the first consideration and eternal things are made secondary. Outward forms of worship with the heart set on earth are an abomination, because God and mammon cannot both be served and God will accept no half-hearted service; the heart and will must be yielded to put them on God's side, and then the heart becomes the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, the peace of Christ rests in the soul, and transforming grace fits the life for the courts of glory. When the eye is single to the glory of God the treasure is laid up above safe from all corruption and loss, and the heart follows that treasure to heaven, making Jesus the pattern to imitate and the law of the Lord the delight, leading at the final reckoning to the faithful servant's approval and entrance into the joy of the Lord.
Luke's parallel connects this same heavenly treasure with giving and readiness for the Lord's return, in contrast with earthly wealth that can be lost. The dying words, My treasure is laid up on high, express hope and affection fixed on heavenly things and God's salvation.
Heart Follows Treasure
Where the treasure is placed, there the heart and love and affections follow and are fixed. To lay up treasure in heaven is to direct the heart toward heavenly things and toward God, while to treasure earthly wealth is to bind the heart to earth and to what is temporary and vulnerable to decay, theft and loss. Those who set desire on the heavenly crown turn from earthly rewards, but those who cling to earthly riches lose love for Jesus and for heaven. Christ's instruction meets the temptation to value earthly things above heavenly things, for He did not come to grasp earthly treasures though the world was His, bought through the gift of His own life.
Thoughts, plans, purposes, motives, care, time and mental powers take the shape and mold of the treasure that is chosen. When earthly wealth and gain become the chief aim and treasure, they engross the mind with care and fear of loss, concentrate effort on earthly work, displace trust in God, and defile the soul with covetousness and selfishness. The pursuit then eclipses the value of eternal riches, so that heavenly attractions lose beauty and reality, warnings of Word and Spirit go unheeded, eternal interests and the work of saving souls are neglected, and the soul is put at risk of loss. Those who eagerly pursue earthly riches while reaching only weakly for heavenly treasure lose sight of the heavenly and are left in darkness, and large attractive farms and grasping for more wealth can preach that this world is home, weaken love for God, and blight the faith of others. To treasure heaven is to turn thoughts toward eternal rewards and God's will and to find light, cheerfulness and holy joy, directing affection and resources toward God's work and the saving of souls.
The heart and character follow what is made the chief aim in life. A selfish aim for gain darkens spiritual vision and misdirects the whole life and its faculties, turning the heart toward the world and making eternal concerns secondary. A person cannot devote all energies to worldly gain for self while weaving Christ's graces into character, for the heart must be given wholly to God without half-hearted service or division between Christ and the world. To aim to do God's will is to place every part of life in His service, to treasure heavenly things by looking to the Lord for reward beyond this life and consecrating what one has to Him, to value eternal things, work unselfishly, and put the kingdom of heaven first. Such a heart set on heavenly treasure invests for eternal life, values heavenly things, loves God and willingly obeys His will, molds character after Christ with Jesus as pattern and God's law as delight, is fitted for glory through the Holy Spirit's dwelling and peace, and turns the family toward God, while whatever is not devoted to Christ strengthens the opposing cause.
Love of the world as treasure excludes love of God, for there are two masters, God and the world, and both cannot be served together. Devotion to earthly wealth draws the heart away from God, attaches it to earthly riches, chokes the word and makes unfruitful, and the promise that wealth gained now will later help God's cause often proves deceptive because gaining it leaves people less willing to give. Covetousness is idolatry and cannot be joined with keeping God's law, so treasure is to be laid up in heaven and not fixed on money. Those whose chief interest and study is earthly wealth place affections on earth rather than on Jesus and heaven even while professing to seek an immortal crown, deceived into thinking they are right while clinging to possessions and valuing money more than the cause of truth. Satan tempts men simply to love the world and set affections on its good things such as rank and position and money, thereby eclipsing heavenly attractions, and when he secures love of the world and engagement of mind and affections he gains from man all that he asked of Christ in the wilderness; when love of gain predominates the highest interests become subordinate and God loses His exalted place.
Nature of Heavenly Treasure
Heavenly treasure is eternal, while earthly wealth is temporary, and the heart becomes fixed on what is valued as treasure. It consists in the knowledge of God received through Jesus Christ and the eternal inheritance secured through Him, sought in cooperation with grace for eternal happiness. Those who secure it become partakers of heavenly attributes, appreciating divine attributes and temporal blessings in a way the worldly mind cannot understand. When treasure is God and heavenly things — the holy city, the earth made new, and the eternal home — the heart finds joy and consolation in them, and dwelling on what is pure and holy brings heaven near, draws the soul toward God, and loosens attachment to the world. Laying up treasure in heaven means setting the heart on God and His truth rather than letting worldly thoughts and cares crowd out present truth and the seal of the living God. It is also a good Christian character worth more than gold or stocks, faith and love as golden treasures, and rest, gladness, and contentment in God through Christ as personal Saviour, bringing health to body and soul.
Treasure laid up in heaven is truly one's own lasting good, kept by God where it cannot be destroyed or stolen. It is enduring substance that flood cannot wash away and fire cannot consume, remaining the giver's own possession, so giving for God works for eternity and need not be feared. Christ opens a heavenly commerce and a bank that never fails, giving security to the choicest treasures and scope to the loftiest ideas, with talents put out to increase as five made ten. Where treasure is placed decides where the heart goes, so laying it in heaven keeps the heart beside the throne of God, while laying it on earth binds affections to earth. That choice is revealed in character, for choosing God's service molds character after Christ and stamps life with the principles and stability of heaven's greatness. It endures when everything in this world perishes, increases eternally, directs desire to what is heavenly, and calls the wealthy to consecrate entrusted abundance to Christ's service under His supervision.
Because heavenly riches so far outweigh earthly gain, the grasp on the world is to be loosened and fastened on the better world to come. Love is to be withdrawn from earthly wealth, for valuing money too highly binds to the passing world and weakens hold on eternal things, while using wealth for God's cause makes it lasting treasure safe in heaven. Worldly gain is to be weighed against eternal life and souls, with earthly honor, riches, and glory seen as perishing and unable to buy entrance to heaven. The transfer of earthly treasure to heaven fixes heart and desire on heavenly things and leads to using money and influence in God's service in view of the final review of life. It is to be pursued with earnestness, toil, sacrifice, and persistence beyond that given to perishable gain, as in choosing God's will with present suffering for coming glory, with warning that possessing wealth without giving may cost eternal life.
Laying Up Heavenly Treasure
Treasure is laid up in heaven by placing means, time, understanding, talents, and influence in God's treasury as His almoners to sustain His cause, prepare the Lord's way, spread truth, save souls, and bring returns to Him in cooperation with Christ, which fixes the heart heavenward and works spiritual and eternal good. What is valued and invested directs the heart, so devotion to worldly business draws the heart away from daily nourishment from the word while giving to share truth and practicing economy so there is something to give draws it toward God's work. Living merely to get gain for self fixes the heart on earth, but constantly regarding property as the Lord's and anxiously watching as faithful stewards to see what can be done in any direction to advance His cause lays it above. Using means for personal benefit rather than for God's work is selfish use of the Lord's goods and withholding what was committed for its support, which is why funds run low. Entrusted means must be used faithfully rather than diverted into worldly pursuits, by giving alms and helping the poor, needy, hungry, naked, widows, orphans and fatherless, and by supporting missions and institutions that uplift people.
Laying up includes supporting gospel teachers, opening new fields, and bringing light of truth to dark places, for where treasure is placed the heart is directed also. It is done by devoting a portion to help those in need and to carry on God's work through believing people, every Christian acting as missionary and trustee with sacred responsibility to supply means for erecting the gospel standard in new fields such as Australia and India rather than expecting God to lay money directly before them. Money in human hands is God's treasure lent to stewards and must be treated as His and not their own, used to help suffering humanity and carry on pioneer gospel work instead of laying up means for personal pleasure and self-enrichment. Giving a valuable possession to support mission work places treasure there, and every dollar invested in work that serves God and saves souls is recorded in heaven and will be received when Christ comes even when it brings no earthly praise. Keeping treasure in heaven keeps the aim on holding faithful until the Lord comes, entering the pearly gates of the City of God, and hearing the welcome into the joy of the Lord, and this embraces establishing missions and churches, building meetinghouses, schools to call children from city schools, and sanitariums in open country with fresh air and pleasant surroundings, publishing tracts and books instead of cheap perishable goods, with specific calls such as $23,000 already laid up for America with money hired at eight percent to invest, work in Australia and India, relief of Nashville and the South, needs of Loma Linda, supply of Australia's medical work to be self-sustaining, and dividing means from one immense sanitarium at Battle Creek into smaller plants for Europe, America, London, and many cities.
Treasure is laid up by using God's goods to bless humanity and interweave interests with others in the great web of humanity, supplying the needs of God's suffering poor and thereby establishing principal interest in heaven. Hoarding earthly treasure and seeking a portion in this life cheats out of heavenly treasure and an immortal inheritance, while imparting entrusted possessions rather than hoarding them or spending on self-indulgence brings peace now and eternal riches. Wealth is a trust and test of character: what is treated as treasure claims the heart to covetousness if hoarded, but giving to advance God's work and help others be saved draws the heart toward God. This requires placing possessions in God's service and giving freely to support truth rather than loving or idolizing riches, putting money lent on trust into God's cause instead of selfish gratification and idolatry like living sumptuously, which fails accountability for the reckoning day not far hence. It extends to feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, helping the poor, needy, widows, orphans, fatherless, sick and suffering, selling personal clothing, houses and furniture if needed, spending even tobacco money and the last farthing to save a soul worth more than the world, supporting children in school in truth, and laboring for the neighbor, which brings sure return and life measuring with God's life, so that hope of heavenly treasure makes loss of home or property less important.
Laying up requires strict economy, self-denial, and faithful tithes and offerings, for earthly wealth is perishable and cannot be kept secure while treasure in heaven directs the heart to what is eternal. Money saved through self-denial can be used in God's service rather than for selfish indulgence, and strict economy makes it possible to give back from what has been given and offer thanks. Using God-given time to bless others and cultivate heart and mind for useful work rather than wasting it on display, needless amusements and worldly customs, and using possessions, strength and choices in service rather than self-interest first, lays up treasure above. Spending less to gratify body and appetite frees means for God's cause, and investing through self-denial and self-sacrifice keeps selfishness from controlling the heart. Those who value self and high wages over others are not laying up above, but beholding Christ turns from self-exaltation to economy and giving to God's cause, so poverty does not prevent laying up and value rests on motive not amount, whether mites or larger sums put into heaven's bank where they accumulate, given thoughtfully according to need rather than hastily or excessively, given while alive with reason rather than only at death, and gathered to spend at once for needy work rather than hoarded, avoiding selfish indulgence, pride, display, precious stones, and extravagant dress and homes.
The call is urgent because probation is short, the end is near, and Christ is coming, so means must be put into circulation now for soul-saving and use without delay to extend truth, build up Christ's kingdom, and advance its interest when He calls. Money is not one's own but God's entrusted to His glory, and keeping it for self, spending in worldly schemes, or withholding tithes and offerings is robbery leaving terrible indebtedness in heaven's books, while wealth left behind at death does no good and only increases the enemy's resources. Prompt settlement with heaven and redeeming the time by helping the great work fixes the heart in heaven, and this must be done in haste by dispensing means while living, giving back a portion of what is lent, presenting offerings, selling and giving alms, and narrowing large farms and selling what is owned to put faith into prompt generous action for the progressing work. Holding earthly possessions instead of giving to support God's work and help those needing truth shows where the heart is, and sorrow at being called to give reveals earthly attachment. Earthly wealth may soon be swept away by the overflowing scourge leaving no chance to use it, and putting means into uncertain ventures such as mining and railroad stock buries the Lord's talent in the earth contrary to His will for those who believe His coming is near, so money kept in banks or turned into land at family's persuasion must be refused when urgent work like Nashville cannot wait, and such stock refused as burying talents. Christ's valuing of man in leaving bliss and His royal throne to clothe divinity with humanity and die requires weighing earthly gain against heavenly loss and temporal success against everlasting failure, for love of means ruins its holder while placing means in God's treasury moves the heart to heaven.
Such laying up directs the heart to God, for what is valued shapes where the heart is directed, and earthly property is not life's purpose but temporary and may vanish suddenly. Treasure gathered in heaven through God-fearing service in blessing others and winning people to Christ endures forever and brings riches and joy after worldly wealth, fame and honor perish. The call is to put heavenly imperishable riches before perishing temporal advantage, weighing worldly gain against eternal life and the good of souls, and to devote to seeking eternal life energy comparable to that absorbed in business and worldly gain. Using possessions humbly and selflessly to advance God's cause and save others shows attachment to imperishable treasure, while giving to win human praise seeks earthly reward; genuine good works reveal Christian character and direct praise to God and are not forbidden merely because others see them. Earthly treasures are to be transferred to heaven so heart and desires fix on heavenly things, which counteracts selfishness, keeps reward secure, records every dollar, continues in souls won who win others, and brings the welcome of the faithful servant, entrance into Christ's joy, meeting saved souls in heavenly courts, efficiency through the Holy Spirit irresistible to Satan, and the path of self-denial to imperishable riches, as shown by Paul, by those who turn from self-exaltation to economy, and by the promise that investment in everlasting life is sure capital.
Dangers of Earthly Treasure
Laying up treasure on earth is forbidden hoarding that ties the heart to earth, for the heart follows where money is placed, so treasure put into earthly buying keeps the heart with earth while treasure put into heaven keeps it with God. It is forbidden to make buying possessions the main burden and to become entangled in worldly possessions with nothing left to put into the Lord's treasury, specifically withdrawing money from God's institutions to bury it in land, mines, and real estate speculation instead of selling possessions to sustain and advance God's cause. Such entanglement is Satan leading people to do what Christ told them not to do, for the world that draws the heart earthward is a hard master and Satan's agent to captivate souls, and earthly hoarding belongs to the dangers and unbelief of the present time to be refused in favor of walking by faith. Those absorbed in farms, real estate, stocks, and money investments give attention to temporal gain, dull their understanding of eternal truth, and risk being unprepared for death and losing eternal life, while the redeemed are those who choose heavenly treasure. Treasure is therefore not to be tied up in banks but put into circulation for urgent missionary work now as stewards returning to the Lord what is His own, under the rule governing money that forbids laying up where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal and commands laying up where nothing corrupts or steals, a rule opposed to speculation.
Investing the Lord's money in secret societies proves the heart is there, so laying up treasure on earth where moth and rust corrupt and thieves steal proves the heart is on this world rather than on heaven where nothing corrupts or steals. However powerful the evidences of truth, truth little by little loses brightness and force, heaven fades from the mind, and the eternal weight of glory for a life of obedience appears unworthy of notice beside supposed benefits from earthly treasure. Those who by action say the life to come is too remote to count on choose earthly good and run the risk of the future while souls starve for the bread and water of life, presuming God is good and merciful yet leaving need unheeded. Club-room fascinations, suppers, and world-loving associations lead as Belshazzar's feast did to forgetfulness of God and dishonoring His name, leaving such persons as slothful servants appointed with hypocrites and unbelievers. God places people on trial by committing temporal possessions to them so their use may show whether they can be entrusted with eternal riches, and to bestow gifts upon enemies of truth and entrust means to secret societies for expected earthly returns while feeling no interest when God's cause needs the means He committed to human agents is to fail to discern true riches and to fail to lay up treasure in heaven, for none whose character is defiled by selfishness can enter heaven and only where Christ's self-sacrificing life is reflected is there harmony with heaven.
Misplaced treasure also includes idolized human affection, for giving deep affection to a woman one has no right to love makes her a misplaced treasure and idol, tested by the questions where the heart is and where the treasure is, whether loves and worship are directed to God or to earthly, morally polluting things. When human affection becomes overpowering and takes the place of devotion to God, the beloved becomes an idol, and the main current of affections and desires must instead be directed toward heaven, since no one enters glory without directing the heart there. Binding the mother-heart up in children so money cannot be refused when they call for help substitutes idols for the Lord and shows the heart set on earthly family ties rather than God, especially using means to bolster children in business when they are casting off obligation to truth and transgressing the Sabbath, which does not save their souls but leaves them spiritually worse and shares their transgression. Devotion to children and personal pleasure rather than God's claims reveals where treasure lies, for laying up treasure in heaven means becoming rich toward God by honoring Him with means including tithes and offerings and responding generously to His gifts. Putting children's wants, amusements, and family claims ahead of the Lord's claims misplaces treasure, for means given for indulgence can harm their spirituality and injure others and do not bless them, while material prosperity tests whether God is put first and withholding what is due robs both God and self.
Earthly treasure brings specific judgments, as the returned exiles proved their hearts were on earthly treasure by dwelling in ceiled houses while the Lord's house lay waste, neglecting God's interest first for their own buildings, which brought want of success so that they sowed much and brought in little because God blew upon it, whereas honoring God first by building His house invites His presence, pleasure, and glory. Making riches the hope ends in loss and despair, as when stock traders go from millionaire one day to beggar the next and take their own lives, while treasure laid up in heaven is secure and far better, and means are only lent in trust to advance God's cause, not for personal glory, with the danger that the more is entrusted the more He is forgotten. The young man with great possessions and the young ruler show how difficult it is to transfer affections from earthly wealth to heavenly things even when eternal life is promised, for love of earthly wealth must be withdrawn and set on heavenly treasure lest attachment obstruct obedience. Means entrusted by God are to be consecrated and used for His work rather than withheld for selfish interests at cost to owner and cause, for love of earthly wealth confuses duty and hinders obedience. Being rich is no sin if riches are not gained by injustice, but spending entrusted means in selfishness brings condemnation while using money to do good lays it up beside the throne in seeking eternal riches that death cannot take away, whereas the man who hoards for self cannot take any of it to heaven, having proved an unfaithful steward forgetful of obligation to God who had his good things in this lifetime but failed to secure heavenly treasure.
When wealth is stored on earth for selfish interests the heart is centered on that wealth rather than God, for affections follow treasured money and possessions and bind the heart to this world, while treasure laid up in heaven transfers affections to God and enduring things. Those who make earthly wealth their aim have hearts fixed on earth, while those who seek heavenly treasure turn affections toward God and heaven, so moving West should be motivated not by becoming rich or gaining honor but by serving God and winning people to truth, showing this world is not home and treasure is in heaven. When people cling to earthly riches their interest in heavenly treasure and concern for others diminish, but when heaven's value fills their sight they gladly use possessions to save others, for earthly possessions are blessings when used rightly and wealth is lent by God to be cheerfully used to advance His cause and thus lay up treasure in heaven. Love of earthly wealth draws affections toward the world and can overcome love of God and truth, leaving greatest care and labor for worldly interests while eternal things are secondary, minds seeing only earth, heavenly glory eclipsed, Scripture and prayer neglected, snares of Satan unescaped, the word choked and unfruitful, taste wholly worldly, and love for truth and moral power weak. God-given abilities and resources are entrusted for responsible use, not as one's own, and giving God what is due does not put Him in debt, for earthly riches cannot ransom the soul and God may end selfish plans by taking away property or bringing affliction, until at last those grasping shadows lose eternal life and perish with what was loved.
Calls to Faithful Stewardship
The heart follows treasure, so those determined to be rich must let this rule govern heart and life. Contentment and yielding of the will to the control of the Holy Spirit replace striving for place and position, reaching for honor and recognition, and elbowing fellow workers to make room for personal plans. Honor is sought in the right way by obedience to truth, with the ambition of life made to honor Christ at every step, and the greatest desire set on working faithfully in just the place God assigns where He can look with approval. Hasty temper, cruel speech, unkind thought, and exalting one while condemning another are refused, and the fruits of righteousness are revealed in words that bless and encourage. Love of the world, ambition, self-love, and desire for supremacy turn the heart toward selfishness, while laying up treasure in heaven means putting God's kingdom and righteousness before selfish interests and handling His entrusted goods unselfishly.
Parents are enlightened by this to act the mind and will of God in every particular, not to scold and fret at children nor to be harsh and punish them in anger, but as teachers in God's place to bring them up in habits of strict temperance. Surplus wealth used during lifetime to advance God's work places treasure in that work and shows where the heart is, for wealth is a trust to be used in His service. God's cause must be close to the heart and His claim must come first, with truth shared so other families are blessed and with the poor and needy cared for even at personal cost or sacrifice, since selfishly keeping His gifts brings a curse instead of a blessing. Actions show the measure of faith, for those whose treasure is on earth reveal hearts fixed on earthly things whatever they profess, while affections, interests, and treasure set on the world to come draw the heart to long for Christ and the heavenly kingdom.
During the waiting time earthly treasures should decrease rather than increase, through selling and giving alms. Life, time, strength, means, and influence are to be used to do good and bless others rather than to live selfishly, and this lays up treasure in heaven. Money is not to be spent on earthly luxury, but may be used to secure simple, healthful lodging under one's own control so others can be welcomed and accommodated, with plain furnishings and self-denial making that practical freedom and hospitality possible. Truth is to be cherished as treasure above material wealth and worldly pleasures, and faithfully sharing received light and using influence to help others follow Christ lays up treasure in heaven whatever one's earthly circumstances.
All money is God's money lent in trust to stewards to invest in His work, and use proves where the heart is. Money given liberally to the cause in needy fields is treasure laid up in heaven secure from decay and theft and fixes the heart on heaven, while money kept for earthly use is treasure laid up on earth; to withhold what was set apart for the Lord to please family or to put it into earthly investments such as land is to bury it in the earth, and such unfaithfulness grieves God's heart. Investing heavily in worldly ventures while refusing to invest in God's work shows earthly treasure matters more than heavenly treasure in proportion to actions, for earthly wealth and investments draw the mind toward this world while treasure transferred to heaven draws the heart toward heaven. Accumulating land and property while claiming to support the cause reveals attachment to earthly treasure, with love of the world growing stronger and attraction to heaven growing weaker, and using the cause as an excuse for acquisition does not change where treasure lies. When earthly gain and possessions are the chief concern, anxieties and efforts center on them with little concern for heavenly life, but when the immortal inheritance and imperishable reward are valued in proportion to their worth, earnest striving for everlasting life follows, heavenly reward corresponding to investment in heavenly things.
The heart always follows and fixes itself where its treasure is placed, so treasure laid up in heaven draws love and desire toward God and heavenly things, while treasure laid up on earth binds the heart to earth and to what is temporary and easily lost. It stands as a test between two masters, for no one can serve both God and worldly gain, and a heart set heavenward keeps the vision single and full of light while a heart set earthward makes it evil and dark. Treasure in heaven is secure and imperishable, kept by God where flood and fire cannot destroy it, consisting in knowledge of God, a Christlike character, faith and love, and eternal inheritance in the renewed earth. It is laid up by putting means, time, talents and influence into God's work and by using them to bless the hungry, the poor, the sick and the needy, which turns thoughts toward God, counteracts selfishness, and keeps the reward sure. Laying up treasure on earth by hoarding money in banks, lands, stocks and worldly enterprises is forbidden, for it draws the heart earthward, dulls understanding of eternal truth, chokes the word, and ends in grasping shadows and losing eternal life.
Words and Immediate Context
The saying belongs to the Sermon on the Mount, spoken especially to the disciples while the listening multitude also heard. It was given in plain, accessible words, spoken with authority as a sure foundation for faith and practice. That sermon contradicted the doctrines and practices of the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees. It is simple enough for a child to study without being misled, and it teaches with the authority of God. To instruct new converts in the claims of God's law therefore requires having the spirit of the law in the heart and impressing its far-reaching principles as taught there, for without that heart work labor is lost.
The word was spoken as standing in the highways of life looking upon a world under the enemy's power, upon men endowed for good but degraded by self-serving, upon busy crowds passing and repassing in eager search for worldly riches yet meeting failure after failure. It seeks to arrest attention and point upward to the unseen world and heavenward, because multitudes mistake phantoms for realities and men who should be engaged in God's service follow delusions ending in successive failures. The highest good is where God is, so the call is to secure the treasure that will endure forever and to respect reasoning powers and reckon upon the eternity of bliss it is the privilege to gain.
Earthly treasure is laid up on earth where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal, vulnerable to decay and theft, while treasure laid up in heaven is secure. Earthly wealth is perishable and cannot be kept secure, while treasure laid up in heaven directs the heart toward what is eternal. The treasure is therefore to be laid up in heaven where neither moth nor rust corrupts and thieves do not break through and steal, and not laid up on earth where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal. The warning is given because of how strong the human inclination is to accumulate earthly treasure, spoken in the highways and byways of life to draw attention from temporal interests to spiritual realities. It bids honor and obedience to the laws of the kingdom of heaven with unselfish aims glorifying God, showing how fallen man may inherit eternal life and become prince and king in the heavenly courts, heir of God and joint heir with Christ.
The saying stands with the single eye that fills the whole body with light against the evil eye that fills the body with darkness, and with the rule that no one can serve two masters and cannot serve God and mammon. There are two masters, God and the world, and it is impossible to serve both, for if interest in and love for this world predominate, love of the world excludes love of God, the most worthy things are not appreciated, the highest interests become subordinate to worldly considerations, and God does not hold as exalted a place in affection and devotion as worldly things do. Where money is placed decides whether the mind is directed earthward or heavenward, for investing entrusted means in worldly enterprises and schemes to please and glorify self keeps the mind constantly earthward and brings no returns worth having. An earthward heart makes the eye evil like that of the slothful servant, so the whole body is full of darkness, instead of single to the glory of God and full of light. If treasure is laid up on earth, temporal things secure the first place in the affections, but if treasure is laid up in heaven, the Lord is kept ever before the mind's eye.
The world and its charms constantly invite attention, but heeding them does not bring happiness, and gaining the whole world profits nothing if the soul is lost. The warning therefore invites seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and laying up treasure in heaven that moth and rust cannot corrupt and thieves cannot steal. Treasuring heaven means directing the heart toward God rather than serving worldly wealth, for a person cannot give full allegiance to both God and mammon, a warning applied to those whose pride and self-sufficiency grow when they gain power and whose choices reveal where their hearts are set. If brain and nerve and muscle are employed in service of self and all energies are put on the side of the world to heap up earthly treasure for self-glory, God and heaven are not made the first consideration and eternal things are made secondary. Outward forms of worship with the heart set on earth are an abomination, because God and mammon cannot both be served and God will accept no half-hearted service; the heart and will must be yielded to put them on God's side, and then the heart becomes the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, the peace of Christ rests in the soul, and transforming grace fits the life for the courts of glory. When the eye is single to the glory of God the treasure is laid up above safe from all corruption and loss, and the heart follows that treasure to heaven, making Jesus the pattern to imitate and the law of the Lord the delight, leading at the final reckoning to the faithful servant's approval and entrance into the joy of the Lord.
Luke's parallel connects this same heavenly treasure with giving and readiness for the Lord's return, in contrast with earthly wealth that can be lost. The dying words, My treasure is laid up on high, express hope and affection fixed on heavenly things and God's salvation.
Heart Follows Treasure
Where the treasure is placed, there the heart and love and affections follow and are fixed. To lay up treasure in heaven is to direct the heart toward heavenly things and toward God, while to treasure earthly wealth is to bind the heart to earth and to what is temporary and vulnerable to decay, theft and loss. Those who set desire on the heavenly crown turn from earthly rewards, but those who cling to earthly riches lose love for Jesus and for heaven. Christ's instruction meets the temptation to value earthly things above heavenly things, for He did not come to grasp earthly treasures though the world was His, bought through the gift of His own life.
Thoughts, plans, purposes, motives, care, time and mental powers take the shape and mold of the treasure that is chosen. When earthly wealth and gain become the chief aim and treasure, they engross the mind with care and fear of loss, concentrate effort on earthly work, displace trust in God, and defile the soul with covetousness and selfishness. The pursuit then eclipses the value of eternal riches, so that heavenly attractions lose beauty and reality, warnings of Word and Spirit go unheeded, eternal interests and the work of saving souls are neglected, and the soul is put at risk of loss. Those who eagerly pursue earthly riches while reaching only weakly for heavenly treasure lose sight of the heavenly and are left in darkness, and large attractive farms and grasping for more wealth can preach that this world is home, weaken love for God, and blight the faith of others. To treasure heaven is to turn thoughts toward eternal rewards and God's will and to find light, cheerfulness and holy joy, directing affection and resources toward God's work and the saving of souls.
The heart and character follow what is made the chief aim in life. A selfish aim for gain darkens spiritual vision and misdirects the whole life and its faculties, turning the heart toward the world and making eternal concerns secondary. A person cannot devote all energies to worldly gain for self while weaving Christ's graces into character, for the heart must be given wholly to God without half-hearted service or division between Christ and the world. To aim to do God's will is to place every part of life in His service, to treasure heavenly things by looking to the Lord for reward beyond this life and consecrating what one has to Him, to value eternal things, work unselfishly, and put the kingdom of heaven first. Such a heart set on heavenly treasure invests for eternal life, values heavenly things, loves God and willingly obeys His will, molds character after Christ with Jesus as pattern and God's law as delight, is fitted for glory through the Holy Spirit's dwelling and peace, and turns the family toward God, while whatever is not devoted to Christ strengthens the opposing cause.
Love of the world as treasure excludes love of God, for there are two masters, God and the world, and both cannot be served together. Devotion to earthly wealth draws the heart away from God, attaches it to earthly riches, chokes the word and makes unfruitful, and the promise that wealth gained now will later help God's cause often proves deceptive because gaining it leaves people less willing to give. Covetousness is idolatry and cannot be joined with keeping God's law, so treasure is to be laid up in heaven and not fixed on money. Those whose chief interest and study is earthly wealth place affections on earth rather than on Jesus and heaven even while professing to seek an immortal crown, deceived into thinking they are right while clinging to possessions and valuing money more than the cause of truth. Satan tempts men simply to love the world and set affections on its good things such as rank and position and money, thereby eclipsing heavenly attractions, and when he secures love of the world and engagement of mind and affections he gains from man all that he asked of Christ in the wilderness; when love of gain predominates the highest interests become subordinate and God loses His exalted place.
Nature of Heavenly Treasure
Heavenly treasure is eternal, while earthly wealth is temporary, and the heart becomes fixed on what is valued as treasure. It consists in the knowledge of God received through Jesus Christ and the eternal inheritance secured through Him, sought in cooperation with grace for eternal happiness. Those who secure it become partakers of heavenly attributes, appreciating divine attributes and temporal blessings in a way the worldly mind cannot understand. When treasure is God and heavenly things — the holy city, the earth made new, and the eternal home — the heart finds joy and consolation in them, and dwelling on what is pure and holy brings heaven near, draws the soul toward God, and loosens attachment to the world. Laying up treasure in heaven means setting the heart on God and His truth rather than letting worldly thoughts and cares crowd out present truth and the seal of the living God. It is also a good Christian character worth more than gold or stocks, faith and love as golden treasures, and rest, gladness, and contentment in God through Christ as personal Saviour, bringing health to body and soul.
Treasure laid up in heaven is truly one's own lasting good, kept by God where it cannot be destroyed or stolen. It is enduring substance that flood cannot wash away and fire cannot consume, remaining the giver's own possession, so giving for God works for eternity and need not be feared. Christ opens a heavenly commerce and a bank that never fails, giving security to the choicest treasures and scope to the loftiest ideas, with talents put out to increase as five made ten. Where treasure is placed decides where the heart goes, so laying it in heaven keeps the heart beside the throne of God, while laying it on earth binds affections to earth. That choice is revealed in character, for choosing God's service molds character after Christ and stamps life with the principles and stability of heaven's greatness. It endures when everything in this world perishes, increases eternally, directs desire to what is heavenly, and calls the wealthy to consecrate entrusted abundance to Christ's service under His supervision.
Because heavenly riches so far outweigh earthly gain, the grasp on the world is to be loosened and fastened on the better world to come. Love is to be withdrawn from earthly wealth, for valuing money too highly binds to the passing world and weakens hold on eternal things, while using wealth for God's cause makes it lasting treasure safe in heaven. Worldly gain is to be weighed against eternal life and souls, with earthly honor, riches, and glory seen as perishing and unable to buy entrance to heaven. The transfer of earthly treasure to heaven fixes heart and desire on heavenly things and leads to using money and influence in God's service in view of the final review of life. It is to be pursued with earnestness, toil, sacrifice, and persistence beyond that given to perishable gain, as in choosing God's will with present suffering for coming glory, with warning that possessing wealth without giving may cost eternal life.
Laying Up Heavenly Treasure
Treasure is laid up in heaven by placing means, time, understanding, talents, and influence in God's treasury as His almoners to sustain His cause, prepare the Lord's way, spread truth, save souls, and bring returns to Him in cooperation with Christ, which fixes the heart heavenward and works spiritual and eternal good. What is valued and invested directs the heart, so devotion to worldly business draws the heart away from daily nourishment from the word while giving to share truth and practicing economy so there is something to give draws it toward God's work. Living merely to get gain for self fixes the heart on earth, but constantly regarding property as the Lord's and anxiously watching as faithful stewards to see what can be done in any direction to advance His cause lays it above. Using means for personal benefit rather than for God's work is selfish use of the Lord's goods and withholding what was committed for its support, which is why funds run low. Entrusted means must be used faithfully rather than diverted into worldly pursuits, by giving alms and helping the poor, needy, hungry, naked, widows, orphans and fatherless, and by supporting missions and institutions that uplift people.
Laying up includes supporting gospel teachers, opening new fields, and bringing light of truth to dark places, for where treasure is placed the heart is directed also. It is done by devoting a portion to help those in need and to carry on God's work through believing people, every Christian acting as missionary and trustee with sacred responsibility to supply means for erecting the gospel standard in new fields such as Australia and India rather than expecting God to lay money directly before them. Money in human hands is God's treasure lent to stewards and must be treated as His and not their own, used to help suffering humanity and carry on pioneer gospel work instead of laying up means for personal pleasure and self-enrichment. Giving a valuable possession to support mission work places treasure there, and every dollar invested in work that serves God and saves souls is recorded in heaven and will be received when Christ comes even when it brings no earthly praise. Keeping treasure in heaven keeps the aim on holding faithful until the Lord comes, entering the pearly gates of the City of God, and hearing the welcome into the joy of the Lord, and this embraces establishing missions and churches, building meetinghouses, schools to call children from city schools, and sanitariums in open country with fresh air and pleasant surroundings, publishing tracts and books instead of cheap perishable goods, with specific calls such as $23,000 already laid up for America with money hired at eight percent to invest, work in Australia and India, relief of Nashville and the South, needs of Loma Linda, supply of Australia's medical work to be self-sustaining, and dividing means from one immense sanitarium at Battle Creek into smaller plants for Europe, America, London, and many cities.
Treasure is laid up by using God's goods to bless humanity and interweave interests with others in the great web of humanity, supplying the needs of God's suffering poor and thereby establishing principal interest in heaven. Hoarding earthly treasure and seeking a portion in this life cheats out of heavenly treasure and an immortal inheritance, while imparting entrusted possessions rather than hoarding them or spending on self-indulgence brings peace now and eternal riches. Wealth is a trust and test of character: what is treated as treasure claims the heart to covetousness if hoarded, but giving to advance God's work and help others be saved draws the heart toward God. This requires placing possessions in God's service and giving freely to support truth rather than loving or idolizing riches, putting money lent on trust into God's cause instead of selfish gratification and idolatry like living sumptuously, which fails accountability for the reckoning day not far hence. It extends to feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, helping the poor, needy, widows, orphans, fatherless, sick and suffering, selling personal clothing, houses and furniture if needed, spending even tobacco money and the last farthing to save a soul worth more than the world, supporting children in school in truth, and laboring for the neighbor, which brings sure return and life measuring with God's life, so that hope of heavenly treasure makes loss of home or property less important.
Laying up requires strict economy, self-denial, and faithful tithes and offerings, for earthly wealth is perishable and cannot be kept secure while treasure in heaven directs the heart to what is eternal. Money saved through self-denial can be used in God's service rather than for selfish indulgence, and strict economy makes it possible to give back from what has been given and offer thanks. Using God-given time to bless others and cultivate heart and mind for useful work rather than wasting it on display, needless amusements and worldly customs, and using possessions, strength and choices in service rather than self-interest first, lays up treasure above. Spending less to gratify body and appetite frees means for God's cause, and investing through self-denial and self-sacrifice keeps selfishness from controlling the heart. Those who value self and high wages over others are not laying up above, but beholding Christ turns from self-exaltation to economy and giving to God's cause, so poverty does not prevent laying up and value rests on motive not amount, whether mites or larger sums put into heaven's bank where they accumulate, given thoughtfully according to need rather than hastily or excessively, given while alive with reason rather than only at death, and gathered to spend at once for needy work rather than hoarded, avoiding selfish indulgence, pride, display, precious stones, and extravagant dress and homes.
The call is urgent because probation is short, the end is near, and Christ is coming, so means must be put into circulation now for soul-saving and use without delay to extend truth, build up Christ's kingdom, and advance its interest when He calls. Money is not one's own but God's entrusted to His glory, and keeping it for self, spending in worldly schemes, or withholding tithes and offerings is robbery leaving terrible indebtedness in heaven's books, while wealth left behind at death does no good and only increases the enemy's resources. Prompt settlement with heaven and redeeming the time by helping the great work fixes the heart in heaven, and this must be done in haste by dispensing means while living, giving back a portion of what is lent, presenting offerings, selling and giving alms, and narrowing large farms and selling what is owned to put faith into prompt generous action for the progressing work. Holding earthly possessions instead of giving to support God's work and help those needing truth shows where the heart is, and sorrow at being called to give reveals earthly attachment. Earthly wealth may soon be swept away by the overflowing scourge leaving no chance to use it, and putting means into uncertain ventures such as mining and railroad stock buries the Lord's talent in the earth contrary to His will for those who believe His coming is near, so money kept in banks or turned into land at family's persuasion must be refused when urgent work like Nashville cannot wait, and such stock refused as burying talents. Christ's valuing of man in leaving bliss and His royal throne to clothe divinity with humanity and die requires weighing earthly gain against heavenly loss and temporal success against everlasting failure, for love of means ruins its holder while placing means in God's treasury moves the heart to heaven.
Such laying up directs the heart to God, for what is valued shapes where the heart is directed, and earthly property is not life's purpose but temporary and may vanish suddenly. Treasure gathered in heaven through God-fearing service in blessing others and winning people to Christ endures forever and brings riches and joy after worldly wealth, fame and honor perish. The call is to put heavenly imperishable riches before perishing temporal advantage, weighing worldly gain against eternal life and the good of souls, and to devote to seeking eternal life energy comparable to that absorbed in business and worldly gain. Using possessions humbly and selflessly to advance God's cause and save others shows attachment to imperishable treasure, while giving to win human praise seeks earthly reward; genuine good works reveal Christian character and direct praise to God and are not forbidden merely because others see them. Earthly treasures are to be transferred to heaven so heart and desires fix on heavenly things, which counteracts selfishness, keeps reward secure, records every dollar, continues in souls won who win others, and brings the welcome of the faithful servant, entrance into Christ's joy, meeting saved souls in heavenly courts, efficiency through the Holy Spirit irresistible to Satan, and the path of self-denial to imperishable riches, as shown by Paul, by those who turn from self-exaltation to economy, and by the promise that investment in everlasting life is sure capital.
Dangers of Earthly Treasure
Laying up treasure on earth is forbidden hoarding that ties the heart to earth, for the heart follows where money is placed, so treasure put into earthly buying keeps the heart with earth while treasure put into heaven keeps it with God. It is forbidden to make buying possessions the main burden and to become entangled in worldly possessions with nothing left to put into the Lord's treasury, specifically withdrawing money from God's institutions to bury it in land, mines, and real estate speculation instead of selling possessions to sustain and advance God's cause. Such entanglement is Satan leading people to do what Christ told them not to do, for the world that draws the heart earthward is a hard master and Satan's agent to captivate souls, and earthly hoarding belongs to the dangers and unbelief of the present time to be refused in favor of walking by faith. Those absorbed in farms, real estate, stocks, and money investments give attention to temporal gain, dull their understanding of eternal truth, and risk being unprepared for death and losing eternal life, while the redeemed are those who choose heavenly treasure. Treasure is therefore not to be tied up in banks but put into circulation for urgent missionary work now as stewards returning to the Lord what is His own, under the rule governing money that forbids laying up where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal and commands laying up where nothing corrupts or steals, a rule opposed to speculation.
Investing the Lord's money in secret societies proves the heart is there, so laying up treasure on earth where moth and rust corrupt and thieves steal proves the heart is on this world rather than on heaven where nothing corrupts or steals. However powerful the evidences of truth, truth little by little loses brightness and force, heaven fades from the mind, and the eternal weight of glory for a life of obedience appears unworthy of notice beside supposed benefits from earthly treasure. Those who by action say the life to come is too remote to count on choose earthly good and run the risk of the future while souls starve for the bread and water of life, presuming God is good and merciful yet leaving need unheeded. Club-room fascinations, suppers, and world-loving associations lead as Belshazzar's feast did to forgetfulness of God and dishonoring His name, leaving such persons as slothful servants appointed with hypocrites and unbelievers. God places people on trial by committing temporal possessions to them so their use may show whether they can be entrusted with eternal riches, and to bestow gifts upon enemies of truth and entrust means to secret societies for expected earthly returns while feeling no interest when God's cause needs the means He committed to human agents is to fail to discern true riches and to fail to lay up treasure in heaven, for none whose character is defiled by selfishness can enter heaven and only where Christ's self-sacrificing life is reflected is there harmony with heaven.
Misplaced treasure also includes idolized human affection, for giving deep affection to a woman one has no right to love makes her a misplaced treasure and idol, tested by the questions where the heart is and where the treasure is, whether loves and worship are directed to God or to earthly, morally polluting things. When human affection becomes overpowering and takes the place of devotion to God, the beloved becomes an idol, and the main current of affections and desires must instead be directed toward heaven, since no one enters glory without directing the heart there. Binding the mother-heart up in children so money cannot be refused when they call for help substitutes idols for the Lord and shows the heart set on earthly family ties rather than God, especially using means to bolster children in business when they are casting off obligation to truth and transgressing the Sabbath, which does not save their souls but leaves them spiritually worse and shares their transgression. Devotion to children and personal pleasure rather than God's claims reveals where treasure lies, for laying up treasure in heaven means becoming rich toward God by honoring Him with means including tithes and offerings and responding generously to His gifts. Putting children's wants, amusements, and family claims ahead of the Lord's claims misplaces treasure, for means given for indulgence can harm their spirituality and injure others and do not bless them, while material prosperity tests whether God is put first and withholding what is due robs both God and self.
Earthly treasure brings specific judgments, as the returned exiles proved their hearts were on earthly treasure by dwelling in ceiled houses while the Lord's house lay waste, neglecting God's interest first for their own buildings, which brought want of success so that they sowed much and brought in little because God blew upon it, whereas honoring God first by building His house invites His presence, pleasure, and glory. Making riches the hope ends in loss and despair, as when stock traders go from millionaire one day to beggar the next and take their own lives, while treasure laid up in heaven is secure and far better, and means are only lent in trust to advance God's cause, not for personal glory, with the danger that the more is entrusted the more He is forgotten. The young man with great possessions and the young ruler show how difficult it is to transfer affections from earthly wealth to heavenly things even when eternal life is promised, for love of earthly wealth must be withdrawn and set on heavenly treasure lest attachment obstruct obedience. Means entrusted by God are to be consecrated and used for His work rather than withheld for selfish interests at cost to owner and cause, for love of earthly wealth confuses duty and hinders obedience. Being rich is no sin if riches are not gained by injustice, but spending entrusted means in selfishness brings condemnation while using money to do good lays it up beside the throne in seeking eternal riches that death cannot take away, whereas the man who hoards for self cannot take any of it to heaven, having proved an unfaithful steward forgetful of obligation to God who had his good things in this lifetime but failed to secure heavenly treasure.
When wealth is stored on earth for selfish interests the heart is centered on that wealth rather than God, for affections follow treasured money and possessions and bind the heart to this world, while treasure laid up in heaven transfers affections to God and enduring things. Those who make earthly wealth their aim have hearts fixed on earth, while those who seek heavenly treasure turn affections toward God and heaven, so moving West should be motivated not by becoming rich or gaining honor but by serving God and winning people to truth, showing this world is not home and treasure is in heaven. When people cling to earthly riches their interest in heavenly treasure and concern for others diminish, but when heaven's value fills their sight they gladly use possessions to save others, for earthly possessions are blessings when used rightly and wealth is lent by God to be cheerfully used to advance His cause and thus lay up treasure in heaven. Love of earthly wealth draws affections toward the world and can overcome love of God and truth, leaving greatest care and labor for worldly interests while eternal things are secondary, minds seeing only earth, heavenly glory eclipsed, Scripture and prayer neglected, snares of Satan unescaped, the word choked and unfruitful, taste wholly worldly, and love for truth and moral power weak. God-given abilities and resources are entrusted for responsible use, not as one's own, and giving God what is due does not put Him in debt, for earthly riches cannot ransom the soul and God may end selfish plans by taking away property or bringing affliction, until at last those grasping shadows lose eternal life and perish with what was loved.
Calls to Faithful Stewardship
The heart follows treasure, so those determined to be rich must let this rule govern heart and life. Contentment and yielding of the will to the control of the Holy Spirit replace striving for place and position, reaching for honor and recognition, and elbowing fellow workers to make room for personal plans. Honor is sought in the right way by obedience to truth, with the ambition of life made to honor Christ at every step, and the greatest desire set on working faithfully in just the place God assigns where He can look with approval. Hasty temper, cruel speech, unkind thought, and exalting one while condemning another are refused, and the fruits of righteousness are revealed in words that bless and encourage. Love of the world, ambition, self-love, and desire for supremacy turn the heart toward selfishness, while laying up treasure in heaven means putting God's kingdom and righteousness before selfish interests and handling His entrusted goods unselfishly.
Parents are enlightened by this to act the mind and will of God in every particular, not to scold and fret at children nor to be harsh and punish them in anger, but as teachers in God's place to bring them up in habits of strict temperance. Surplus wealth used during lifetime to advance God's work places treasure in that work and shows where the heart is, for wealth is a trust to be used in His service. God's cause must be close to the heart and His claim must come first, with truth shared so other families are blessed and with the poor and needy cared for even at personal cost or sacrifice, since selfishly keeping His gifts brings a curse instead of a blessing. Actions show the measure of faith, for those whose treasure is on earth reveal hearts fixed on earthly things whatever they profess, while affections, interests, and treasure set on the world to come draw the heart to long for Christ and the heavenly kingdom.
During the waiting time earthly treasures should decrease rather than increase, through selling and giving alms. Life, time, strength, means, and influence are to be used to do good and bless others rather than to live selfishly, and this lays up treasure in heaven. Money is not to be spent on earthly luxury, but may be used to secure simple, healthful lodging under one's own control so others can be welcomed and accommodated, with plain furnishings and self-denial making that practical freedom and hospitality possible. Truth is to be cherished as treasure above material wealth and worldly pleasures, and faithfully sharing received light and using influence to help others follow Christ lays up treasure in heaven whatever one's earthly circumstances.
All money is God's money lent in trust to stewards to invest in His work, and use proves where the heart is. Money given liberally to the cause in needy fields is treasure laid up in heaven secure from decay and theft and fixes the heart on heaven, while money kept for earthly use is treasure laid up on earth; to withhold what was set apart for the Lord to please family or to put it into earthly investments such as land is to bury it in the earth, and such unfaithfulness grieves God's heart. Investing heavily in worldly ventures while refusing to invest in God's work shows earthly treasure matters more than heavenly treasure in proportion to actions, for earthly wealth and investments draw the mind toward this world while treasure transferred to heaven draws the heart toward heaven. Accumulating land and property while claiming to support the cause reveals attachment to earthly treasure, with love of the world growing stronger and attraction to heaven growing weaker, and using the cause as an excuse for acquisition does not change where treasure lies. When earthly gain and possessions are the chief concern, anxieties and efforts center on them with little concern for heavenly life, but when the immortal inheritance and imperishable reward are valued in proportion to their worth, earnest striving for everlasting life follows, heavenly reward corresponding to investment in heavenly things.