The Treasures of Our Hearts
Photo by Sergey Sokolov on Unsplash
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21 NIV84) [see full text in button/link below]
What do you treasure?
What is most valuable to you? There are both emotional answers and practical ones. When we are young, ambitions and dreams tend to be what we treasure. This changes as we mature with life experience. As we age, what we treasure may be quite different from in our younger years.
Perhaps a more important question is — What or who governs our hearts? Are we driven by internal needs or desires, or do external pressures and expectations press on us?
I believe this is a genuine dilemma for Western Christians in the 21st century. Christian believers in Western nations, especially Americans in the US, have access to wealth, medical care, and governmental stability to a greater extent than believers in much of the rest of the world.
Many of us have more than we know what to do with, so we store the excess in closets, thousands of storage units, or sell it online or in our neighborhoods. And yet, all this abundance doesn’t make us strong in faith. Our great abundance seems to have the opposite effect. But why?
When we trust in and value the abundance we have, this displaces our trust in God. Rather than contentment, abundance can breed discontent. Discontent shows up when our abundance, comfort, and sense of security are disrupted.
What do you think displaces your trust in God?
Insights
The old saying, “home is where your heart is,” shows how our soul, our inner being, is what anchors our life. All the positive thinking in the world doesn’t change hearts. It can be beneficial for changing behavior, at least for a little while, but it won’t change the course of our lives permanently.
What we value, what we consider as treasure, determines the course of our lives. If it’s wealth, then we are driven to gain and maintain more of it. The same applies to what value we assign to comfort, security, and even family.
Almost everyone thinks they need or could use more money or a better job, house, vehicle, computer, and so on. But the truth is, even more is never enough. Countless rich people are testimonials to this.
I grew up in a very wealthy area and went to school with kids from wealthy families. All their wealth didn’t seem to bring contentment or happiness. When I visited their homes and got to know their families, I saw the opposite.
A young, wealthy family in our church gave me further insight into the dilemma of having enough. The husband told me that the more they gained and owned, the more he had to insure and maintain. What they possessed seemed to possess them, requiring more wealth to maintain it all.
Insurance companies tout their commitment to insure almost anything. Of course, all that protection comes at a cost. Many people have security cameras and systems for their homes and businesses, but it all costs money and requires time and attention to monitor this security.
The question is—
Does having more bring contentment and peace to our hearts?
Or is what we desire and long for in this world too elusive to be gained and kept?
Even family can be overvalued in a certain sense. Susan and I place a high value on our family. Susan always looks for opportunities to get all of our family together in one place at one time. But during the COVID-19 social distancing and self-quarantining, it became nearly impossible.
When we committed to moving halfway around the globe for mission work, we let our oldest son stay in the US for his senior year in high school. We gave him the choice of staying or going with us. Some people criticized us for leaving him while we moved to the Philippines, while others felt we were putting our family at risk by moving overseas.
Those who criticized us didn’t understand our hearts. They didn’t know what we treasured most, and their wrong assumptions were based on their viewpoint and values. As much as we treasured our family, our highest priority was the Lord, His calling for us, and His kingdom. Our family understood that then, as they do now.
True Religion
Why is it difficult for us to accept and abide by what Jesus says about treasures on earth and what we treasure in our hearts?
We live in a material world. What we know best is what we can see and touch. Earthly or material treasures don’t last forever. They are temporal. Reason tells us that what Jesus says is true, but do our hearts agree?
Here’s what seems to hang us up. Our daily lives are temporal. We have no guarantee of living each day for as long as we want. An unexpected and unavoidable accident or event can cut our lives short. Lives end too soon because of cancer and other diseases. How much more is this true for material possessions and wealth?
We may understand in our heads what Jesus says about earthly treasures, but our hearts don’t always follow sound reason. This is the crux of what Jesus is saying about earthly treasures and whatever else we may value.
Our hearts cling to what we value and treasure. What we treasure anchors our lives, whether or not we realize it. It’s a matter of trust. A matter of faith.
What do we put our faith in? Ourselves and our resources? Or God?
Are we trusting in what we have or think we need, or in the Lord? What we genuinely treasure in our hearts will tell us. A heart filled with faith sees beyond temporal things, wealth, and even life as we know it on earth.
When we trust in God with our hearts, what we treasure and value changes from what is temporal to what is eternal.
What are the treasures of your heart?
Reflections for Prayer
Our hearts cling to what we value and treasure, and this anchors our lives, whether or not we realize it. A heart filled with faith sees beyond what is temporal—wealth and even life as we know it on earth.
Sorting out what we value and treasure in our hearts is a daily need. Ask the Lord each day and throughout the day, what interferes with your trust in Him. When He reveals this to you, repent. How? Seek the Lord in prayer and choose to praise and worship Him as you reset your heart on what is eternal.
Footnotes–
Also see–
This is an excerpt from a soon-to-be-published book called The Heart and Soul of God’s Kingdom. Look for it on Amazon with my other books— Trip Kimball on Amazon
