Treasures in Heaven
ICS Daily Devotions

Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV) “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.

In this passage, Jesus is not saying we should be so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good, but rather that our hearts should be in the right place so we can rightly prioritise the different roles that we play in our lives. What God requires of us is that we serve Him with our gifts and talents, because they are given by Him for a purpose greater than the temporal gains on earth. As wise Christians, we should learn to live a balanced life to fulfil the role of being a child of God, a servant of God, a parent, a spouse, and a good member of our community. Does your corporate role take up so much of your time that you fail to spend enough time with your family? Do you spend enough quality time with God to avoid being driven by the tyranny of the urgent? If we are not careful, we may end up with nothing being stored up in heaven because we can’t bring anything that we have accumulated on earth into eternity.

There will be heavenly rewards given out by Jesus to every one of us based on how faithfully we have served Him. These rewards are priceless because they last for eternity. You might ask, “Should we serve Him because we want the rewards?” Well, isn’t this something that the Lord wants us to do—to store up for ourselves riches in heaven where thieves and moths cannot destroy? Have you done an inventory check lately regarding what you have stored up for yourselves in heaven by serving God? We must try to ensure that we are well stored up in heaven because each of us will be receiving our own rewards. As much as we would like, we cannot share in our spouses’ rewards because we will be accountable to God regarding the gifts and talents bestowed on us.

Mark 9:41(NKJV) For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

Jesus clearly put forth this truth to us that there are rewards for the individual who serves or helps someone, as simple as just serving them a cup of water. We are to do good to one another, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. These simple gestures will be counted as heavenly rewards. So let us store our treasures in heaven!

Sermon Series: ServeFest