Heavenly Treasure
HEAVENLY TREASURE
Star athlete, heir to a large fortune, and top graduate of one of the greatest universities in the world, Charles Thomas Studd had it all. To top it off, he was good looking and full of charisma. Yet none of those things was his greatest asset. You see, as a believer in Jesus Christ, C. T. was more focused on the life to come than this one. That is rare for any person. It is especially rare for a young man with his wealth and stature.
When he graduated from Cambridge University, he gave up his sport, fame, fortune, and even his homeland, to become a missionary in China, India, and finally inland Africa. C. T. served Christ on the mission field from 1885 until his death in 1931.
Where is your treasure? What is your aim in life? A recent study shows that there are over 50,000 people worldwide worth more than $30 million. Would your life be a success if you became one of those 50,000?
Early in our marriage my wife and I were invited to a Christian meeting. When we got there we met several other couples along with our friend and the speaker. The speaker asked what would make us really happy. One man raised his hand and said, “I’d really love to have a Porsche.” So the speaker wrote “Porsche” on the board. A woman said, “I want to be a millionaire.” So he wrote, “$1,000,000.” Soon were added “Yacht,” “Cruise around the world,” and so forth.
Sharon and I sat there perplexed. While we wouldn’t have minded any of those things, we knew that having them would not make us happy or fulfilled.
— The Problem with Treasure on Earth —
This problem of earthly treasure has plagued man throughout history. The pyramids contain the bodies of pharaohs who were buried with gold, diamonds, chariots, fine clothes, and even servants (who were buried alive!). Their idea was to take their treasure with them to the next life.
However, earthly possessions are extremely perishable. The Lord Jesus put it this way,
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
—Matthew 6:19
Though the Lord gives just three examples of the fleeting nature of treasures in this life, many more could be added. We’ve all had moths eat holes in our clothes. (I generally get about two years out of a running shirt before holes mysteriously appear.) Rust has eaten away at our possessions made of metal. (Recently the chassis of my lawn mower nearly disintegrated from rust.) Thieves have stolen from us. (My wife’s purse and wedding ring were taken when we’d been married five years.)
The fence in our yard is decaying badly. If we don’t fix it soon, it will likely fall down. The fact is our earthly “treasures” steadily decay without constant repair.
— The Beauty of Treasure in Heaven —
Whereas earthly treasure decays, heavenly treasure is imperishable. The Lord went on to say,
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
—Matthew 6:20
Treasure laid up in heaven is not subject to decay. Moths, rust, and thieves can’t touch it. Neither can anything else. It is permanent.
Treasure we lay up in heaven is currently being reserved for us, to be given to us at the Judgment Seat of Christ for our use in the kingdom of God. While many think of this treasure as a figure of speech for some unspecified blessings, I see it as an eternal trust fund that believers will use to glorify God. The more we have stored up, the more we can give away in service to the Lord.
What? Who would need money in the kingdom? Well, no one, if the kingdom of God were going to be some ethereal experience, consisting of floating on clouds and strumming harps. However, the description of the eternal kingdom on the new earth in Revelation 21:24 strongly suggests the existence of an economy. “The kings of the earth [will] bring their glory and honor into it [the New Jerusalem].” Actually the majority of manuscripts read, “The kings of the earth [will] bring the glory and honor of the nations to Him.”
In any case, the point is clear. The three wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus were types of rulers who, in the age to come, will forever bring gold and other treasures to the Lord Jesus.
— Your Heart Is Where Your Treasure Is —
The reason many believers aren’t concerned with laying up treasure in heaven is because they’re too preoccupied with laying it up here. They aren’t aware that something much better exists. The Lord Jesus said,
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
—Matthew 6:21
It is impossible to make it your aim to lay up treasure on this earth, and at the same time have your heart set on the things of God and the life to come. What you value most is where your affections will be directed.
A few years ago, world-class athletes were asked the following question: “If you could take a drug that would cause you to win a gold medal, but it would kill you in ten years, would you take it?” Amazingly, the majority said yes. They’d sacrifice fifty or more years of life for a gold medal.
What would you give up to have treasure in heaven? Would you drive a lesser car than you could otherwise afford? Live in a more modest home? Have a less expensive wardrobe? Enjoy simpler or fewer vacations? Give up fifty years of life (if called upon to be a martyr, for example)? The answer you give to these questions will depend on where your heart is.
— Heavenly Treasure and Eternal Rewards —
I talk a lot in this book about eternal rewards. Treasure reserved in heaven is just one of the many types of rewards that God will give. However, it differs from the other rewards in one major way: it is guaranteed the moment it is laid up. Every time you do a good deed with a proper motive, a deposit is made to your account in the Bank of Heaven (Matthew 10:42). The more deposits you make, the more treasure you’ll have with which to glorify God.
All other rewards will be given only to those who persevere in their service for Christ to the end of their lives. Those rewards include ruling with Christ, wearing white garments, the right to eat the hidden manna and the fruit of the tree of life, the right to enter the New Jerusalem by its gates, and a special name engraved on a beautiful white stone (Revelation 2:17; 3:4–5, 21; 22:14).
There will be degrees of some or possibly all of these perseverance rewards. Some will rule, for example, over more cities than others. But all who persevere will rule. The garments of some may shine more brightly than others (Matthew 17:2). But all who persevere will wear radiant garments.
— Conclusion —
At the age of twenty-five, C. T. Studd received a large inheritance. He chose to give away nearly the entire estate—an amount approaching $2,000,000 in today’s dollars. Later, he and his wife Priscilla gave away the remainder of his inheritance. C. T. and Priscilla believed what the Lord Jesus said. They were more concerned with laying up eternal treasure in heaven than having earthly treasure now.
Few of us have the fame and fortune of C. T. Studd. Still, all of us are tempted to live for the treasures this world has to offer. C. T. is famous for having said, “If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” That is powerful stuff.
A proper view of treasure is an antidote to spiritual lethargy. Earthly treasure is guaranteed to perish. Treasure reserved for us in heaven will last forever. Focusing our affections on the riches of the life to come is a powerful way to energize our Christian lives. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”