Treasures That Don’t Fade

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” — Matthew 6:21 (NRSVUE)

Where do you put the things you hold dearly? If it’s a trophy or an award, it might sit proudly on a mantle. If it’s something valuable you want close at hand, maybe it’s tucked into a fireproof box. Some things end up in a safe‑deposit box at the bank. And more and more of what we value isn’t physical at all — it floats somewhere in the ether of the internet, protected (we hope) by passwords and encryption.

But do any of those places offer real safety? It seems, at least once a week, another company announces a data breach. Another password reset. Another reminder that even our most “secure” places aren’t as secure as we imagine.

Jesus knew this long before cloud storage and cybersecurity. In Matthew 6:19–20, he warns us not to store up treasures “on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal,” but to store up treasures in heaven — the kind no thief can touch and no decay can reach. 

And “treasure in heaven” isn’t about earning spiritual points; it’s about investing our lives in what reflects God’s kingdom — compassion, generosity, mercy, justice, and trust. And then he says something even more revealing: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The question isn’t just what we treasure, but where we place it. Because our hearts follow our investments — our time, our attention, our affection, our trust. If we anchor our worth in things that can be lost, stolen, or corrupted, our hearts will always feel fragile. But if we entrust our deepest selves — our souls — to God, we discover a security that isn’t dependent on locks, vaults, or firewalls.

So today, consider what you’ve been trying to protect on your own. What treasure have you tucked away in a place that can’t actually hold it? What would it look like to place that treasure — your hopes, your identity, your purpose — in God’s care instead?

God of all true treasure, help me see clearly what I’ve been storing in the wrong places. Teach my heart to rest in you, to trust you with what matters most, and to invest my life in what cannot fade. Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tim