Devotional: Trusting in Riches

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

-Matthew 6:19-21

I’ve been seeing many horrific pictures and videos of the destruction that has happened from the tornadoes in the Midwest. When I see footage of damage from a natural disaster, I try to put myself in the victims’ shoes and imagine what it would be like to lose my home and everything I own. How would I react? Would I be devastated, or would I just be grateful that my family and I are alive?

Last year, I was contemplating this thought often. Everything we have can be taken away in the blink of an eye, which is why we cannot put our hope, confidence, or trust in anything except for God. We cannot put our trust in our health, our abilities, other people, our career, or especially materialistic possessions. If we build our lives around any of those things, they will surely fail us at some point or another. We came into this world with nothing and we will leave with nothing.

What happens when we build our lives around materialistic gain?

It results in covetousness: 

Luke 12:15 – And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

It will cause you to fall and stumble:

Proverbs 11:28 – “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.”

It leads to rejecting Christ’s calling for you:

Matthew 19:21-22 –  “Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

It results in never feeling satisfied:

Ecclesiastes 5:10 – “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.”

It can be a slippery slope to committing other sins and rejecting God:

1 Timothy 6:10 – “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Contemplate the severity of what the love of money can do. It can lead to lying, theft, murder, and war.

We begin to worry and stress about our needs being met:

Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

How do we store up riches in heaven instead?

Be humble before God and others:

1 Peter 5:6 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

Be generous with an open hand:

1 Timothy 6:17-19 – “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

Look unto Christ and His return:

2 Timothy 4:8 – “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Seek righteousness:

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Trust God with your needs:

Psalm 28:7 – “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”

Stay steadfast in the testing of your faith:

James 1:2-4 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Love God and others:

Matthew 22:37-39 – “Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Don’t show partiality or favoritism based on wealth:

James 2:1,5 – “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism…Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”

The bottom line is this: you will either trust in God to meet all of your needs or trust in the possessions of this world to meet your needs. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Take a moment: Are you storing up treasures on earth or treasures in heaven?

Sometimes it’s difficult to be introspective, especially on this topic. Pray that God reveals what is in your heart and if materialistic gain has become a snare.

I’ll admit, it gets increasingly difficult in a world where everything is an advertisement that pressures you to have the next best thing.

But, going back to the main scripture at the beginning, Jesus guides us to focus on storing up heavenly treasures. The spiritual treasures that we experience now as a result of following Jesus are far more satisfying than anything on this earth. He truly is our life source. Even more, I can’t comprehend how amazing our heavenly treasures will be in comparison to the things of this world.

Trusting that walking with the Lord results in heavenly treasures, which are far greater than earthly treasures, is what it means to live by faith.

-Alina