In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus gives sound advice for success in life. He says: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
In William Tidwell’s collection “Pointed Illustrations,” there’s an anecdote titled “Riches: The Main Thing Forgotten” that says:
“It is related that a lady whose house was burning was frantic. She ran into the burning building and got her silverware and took it out to a safe place. Then she did likewise with her fine paintings and Oriental rugs.
“Finally she seemed to come to herself and cried, ‘Oh, where is my darling baby?’ She frantically ran around to the room where the baby was and, looking through the window, she beheld the burning room and the bed where her baby was.
“She broke the window open and began to enter the room, but just then there was a mighty crash as the building caved in and buried her baby in the flames. She screamed and ran about, wailing most piteously, ‘Oh, I have saved my goods, but I have lost my baby!’”
That is what multitudes are doing, Tidwell concludes. They are neglecting the main thing. Very often the most important thing in life gets buried beneath less important things. When Jesus calls us to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), it is not an invitation to reject material things. Rather, he is teaching us to prioritize our lives — to put first things first. According to his teachings, the most valuable possession we have is our soul. The soul is that intangible part of us and it is who we really are. The Bible teaches that humans were created as body, soul and spirit (I Thessalonians 5:23).
Jesus asks this piercing question: What will it profit a person to gain the whole world and lose their own soul, or what can a person give in exchange for the soul? (Mark 8:36-37). Because the human soul is a priceless treasure, caring for it should be our greatest concern. In Matthew 6, Jesus confronts us with the fact that Earth is not a secure place to store up life’s most precious treasure.
He gives us two reasons why it is dangerous to store up treasures on Earth. First of all, Earth is susceptible to natural destructions. Moth and rust are two examples he uses. This month alone we have seen the ravages of a cyclone in Indonesia, numerous tornadoes in America and an earthquake in China. Sometimes treasures on Earth are depleted and life is disrupted by such disasters.
A second reason Jesus provides is burglary, the result of man-made destruction. It was reported that in 1986, angry Filipinos took to the streets of Manila and drove Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos from power. Imelda left behind more than 1,200 pairs of shoes, 427 designer dresses and 71 pairs of sunglasses. In a country where two out of every three households lacked adequate food, this was extravagant, to say the least! During their 20 years in power, the couple plundered nearly $12 billion from their poverty-stricken country.
The scripture reminds us to “advise those who are rich in this world that they should not boast, nor put their confidence in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” (I Timothy 6:17). I like the words of the Irish hymn “Be Thou My Vision.” The third verse says:
“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.”
We should seek after riches that are “unsearchable” (Ephesians 3:8) and store them in a place that is indestructible (Matthew 6:19-21). When we store up our treasures in heaven, we never have to worry. We are safe. Heaven is under the control of God and free from natural and man-made destruction. The apostle Paul declares, “I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that he is able to safeguard what I have entrusted to him until that day” (II Timothy 1:12).
Don’t allow what seems urgent to cause you to neglect what is important. The human soul is a priceless possession and heaven is still our best investment option. J.H. Jowett has rightly said, “The real measure of our wealth is how much we’d be worth if we lost all our money.” Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, says the scripture, and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Thessalonians 5:23).
