Treasures in Heaven (George Muller, 1844)

Matthew 6:19-21

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Treasures laid up on earth bring along with them many cares; treasures laid up in Heaven never give care.

Treasures laid up on earth never can afford spiritual joy; treasures laid up in Heaven bring along with them peace and joy in the Holy Spirit even now.

Treasures laid up on earth, in a dying hour cannot afford peace and comfort, and when life is over they are taken from us; treasures laid up in Heaven draw forth thanksgiving that we were permitted and counted worthy to serve the Lord with the means with which He was pleased to entrust us as stewards.

And when this life is over we are not deprived of what was laid up there, but when we go to Heaven we go to the place where our treasures are, and we shall find them there.

Dear reader, does your soul long to be rich towards God, to lay up treasures in Heaven? The world passes away and the lust thereof (1 John 2:17)! Yet a little while, and our stewardship will be taken from us. At present we have the opportunity of serving the Lord with our time, our talents, our bodily strength, our gifts, and also with our property; but shortly this opportunity may cease. Oh, how shortly it may cease! Before ever this is read by anyone, I may have died; and the very next day after you have read this, dear reader, you may have died! And therefore while we have the opportunity let us serve the Lord.

The Lord lastly adds: "For where your treasure is--there will your heart be also." Where should the heart of the disciple of the Lord Jesus be, but in Heaven? Our calling is a heavenly calling; our inheritance is a heavenly inheritance; our citizenship is in Heaven; but if we believers in the Lord Jesus lay up treasures on earth, the necessary result of it is that our hearts will be upon earth--nay, the very fact of our doing so proves that they are there! Nor will it be otherwise until there be a ceasing to lay up treasures upon earth.

The believer who lays up treasures upon earth may, at first, not live openly in sin; he in a measure may yet bring some honor to the Lord in certain things. But the injurious tendencies of this habit will show themselves more and more, while the habit of laying up treasures in Heaven would draw the heart more and more heavenward. This habit would be continually strengthening his new, his divine nature, his spiritual faculties, because it would call his spiritual faculties into use, and thus they would be strengthened--and he would more and more, while yet in the body, have his heart in Heaven and set upon heavenly things. And thus the laying up treasures in Heaven would bring along with it, even in this life, precious spiritual blessings as a reward of obedience. 

George Muller, "Convictions and Teachings"

http://www.gracegems.org/