"Your Heart. Your Treasure."
Steven J. Wallace
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"
(Matt. 6:21).
We know the importance of our heart that beats within our chest. It works 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It circulates our blood throughout our body. It is imperative for life. We only have one. When it stops working, we die.
Do we also understand how important our spiritual heart is? The Bible-heart is the mind and serves as the center of our affection. Solomon penned, "For as he thinks in his heart, so [is] he. 'Eat and drink!' he says to you, But his heart is not with you" (Prov. 23:7).
Our Lord tells us that our heart is found in what we treasure. Delilah was correct when she asked, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart [is] not with me?" (Jud. 16:15). If one treasures his job, his heart will be in that work. If one treasures his family, his heart is in their welfare. Our hearts are never in those things that we esteem lightly, distrust, or consider unimportant. Our heart is found in the things we treasure. So what do we treasure?
TREASURING GOD
If I treasure God, I will love Him with all my heart (Matt. 22:37). My love will be demonstrated in my service.
Moses exhorted Israel, "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut. 10:12, emp. mine, SJW).
Years later, Samuel exhorted the people to not turn aside from serving the Lord or they would be going after "empty things" and that they should "…serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you" (see 2 Sam. 12:20-24). People lose heart and walk away from the Lord when they forget the great things He has done.
What great things?
He created the world and everything in it (Acts 17:24). He created us in His image (Gen. 1:27). He has provided for us all things to sustain life (1 Tim. 6:17; Acts 14:17). He has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). He sent His Son to die for our sins, giving us hope to look for His return (Jn. 3:16; Acts 1:11). Because of His Son's resurrection, we believe in a future resurrection where heavenly bliss begins when this present terrestrial existence ends (1 Pet. 1:3, 4; 2 Pet. 3; Acts 24:15; etc.).
TREASURING GOD'S WORD
The Psalmist demonstrates one who treasures God's word: "Oh, how I love Your law! It [is] my meditation all the day" (Psa. 119:97). Also, "Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness" (Psa. 119:159).
David prayed, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight…" (Psa. 19:14). Yet this is in the context of assaying God's word as more than fine gold. He also considered it sweeter than the honeycomb (see Psa. 19:7-11). "…I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search" (Psa. 77:6, emp. mine, SJW). How we meditate and search God's word demonstrates how much we treasure it.
If we treasure God's word, we will be meditating on it regularly. We will resist the tendency to delay and obey what it commands from the heart (Rom. 6:17).
TREASURING OUR NEIGHBOR
If we love our neighbors, we will look out for their best interests and seek to lead them to Christ. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor (Matt. 22:39). Paul commanded, "let each esteem others better than himself" (Phil. 2:3). If we love our neighbor and love God's word, let's always look for opportunities to reach our neighbors, "…And talk of Your [God's, SJW] deeds" (Psa. 77:12).
TREASURING THE LOCAL WORK
If we treasure the local church, we will, from the heart, pour our love into it. We will choose to actively participate in the sacred assemblies and not abandon them (Heb. 10:24, 25). We will sacrificially and premeditatedly "purpose in the heart" to give to support the work (2 Cor. 9:7). We will encourage our brethren that "…with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord" (Acts 11:23).
Where is my treasure? There is my heart!
