Store up treasures in Heaven

One of the biggest “thorns in the flesh” I have to fight against is that of dealing with money. All the wisdom, strategies and ‘common sense’ in managing finances apparently so easy to many people and close friends are extremely difficult for me, namely saving and making the money work for me (in the Rich Dad’s words). For many years, tithing was a real struggle, not because I did not understand that all my finances were God’s trusted to me, but because there was always left over month to my paycheck.

“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.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

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. 

— Matthew 6:19-24

The struggle is real

Saving money and not living from paycheck to paycheck is a place where my earthly self would rather dwell instead of only make a few short visits every once in a while.

It took me a long time and meeting my older self to come to a place where I could not lose sleep because of bills to pay and the threat of unemployment. 

Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 

— Matthew 19:21-22

One of the most important pieces in this puzzle was to have faithful and honest church leaders that taught and guided me through this path of obedience and trusting my finances to God.

I can very much relate with the young rich man in Jesus’ sermon on the Mount, it is not an easy thing to hear, though. As C.S. Lewis well present, "who can like being knocked flat on his face by a sledgehammer? I can hardly imagine a more deadly spiritual condition than that of a man who can read that passage with tranquil pleasure."¹

Oddly enough, one of the things that helped me straighten up the priorities in my financial life I found in a secular book titled “The Richest Man in Babylon”:

‘Pay yourself first. Do not buy from the clothes-maker and the sandal-maker more than you can pay out of the rest and still have enough for food and charity and penance to the gods.’²

Not that this concept was new to me, but it was only then that it clicked, and I understood that I had to change my approach to my finances and not wait until the end of the month to then hope I could be “generous”. Instead, I should start with bringing to the altar of the Lord the first fruits (not exactly paying myself first, but “paying” first whose is due of my faith), then in faith deal with everything else.

The reward is real

When we look back into Jesus’ words we can clearly see that, just as finances is a struggle to me and different people will struggle in other areas, we have the opportunity to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness", especially through these areas we struggle the most.

Jesus couldn't be any clearer to explain how we can today make a move towards storing treasures in heaven. When we love our neighbor and serve others letting the Holy Spirit daily transform our lives on every “deposit”, we can be sure that none of this will be destroyed or stolen, setting our eye in Him that can do more than we can imagine.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 

— Matthew 25:34-40

Store up treasures in Heaven
Don’t you wait
For the rain to come falling down
Down on you

— From the song Treasures in Heaven by Steven Delopoulos (Burlap to Cashmere)