Hearts and Treasures

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[g] consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust[h]consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -Matthew 6:19-21

Many families these days have locking safes, cabinets and storage buildings.  They have locks on their doors and windows. They have alarms in case the locks are bypassed. And they live in communities that are locked away behind gates that need a pass code to get in.

I am aware that some of this is to protect us from violence, but much of it is to protect our stuff.  The more stuff we have in and around our houses, the more we pay to protect it... and the more we pay to store it and organize it.  There are businesses that focus solely on storing and organizing stuff.  And now we can even spend money on books to teach us how to get rid of our stuff!  

People, we have a heart problem.  If our heart is where our treasure is, our hearts must be in our closets, drawers, attics, basements and storage buildings.  I'm here to tell you--some of that stuff is really hard to get rid of, because our hearts attach quickly to stuff. But once we do get rid of it, our hearts are free to focus elsewhere. Perhaps we can even begin to store up treasure in heaven.

Holy God,

Our hearts have strayed so much further than we even realize. Help us back to the right path. Amen.