For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
Lent is almost over, but as Lent is carrying on, I find it helpful to revisit our Ash Wednesday scripture reading that helped us begin our Lenten Journey.
In our passage, Jesus tells us of three acts of spiritual piety. He speaks of alms-giving, prayer, and fasting. These are things that we commonly engage in as Christians, and these are things that we should engage in as Christians. However, we see Christ giving us a robust overview on how not to engage in these acts of spiritual piety. The main distinction he makes is the distinction of motive!
Out of every form of spiritual piety outlined above, Jesus wraps it up with the concept of a reward. He is doing this to show that the treasure for engaging in spiritual piety for the sake of being rewarded in this earthly life is NOTHING compared to the treasures in heaven.
Christ says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” In saying this, he is making it clear that your reward (or your “desired outcome”) should be heavenly centered… where moth and rust cannot consume, and thieves cannot steal. Some scholars understand moth to be in reference to clothing and rust to be in reference to metals. These things can be destroyed, stolen, lost, etc. – they are perishable.
Christ is encouraging us to focus our spiritual eyes on what is not perishable. If your treasure is in heaven, your acts of piety will be heavenly centered; if your treasure is on earth, your acts of piety will be earthly centered. Your motive will shine a light on where you find yourself centering.
As we traverse this Lenten season, let us be intentional about centering our acts of spiritual piety on heavenly treasures. Let us focus on things that will bring us closer to Christ and the advancement of his Kingdom on this earth. This does not mean to neglect our earthly duties and responsibilities. This means to engage in our earthly duties and responsibilities with a Christ-centered perspective and a profound hope in the reality that is to come.
God bless you!
Zacher
