“Heavenly Treasure” (Luke 12:32-34)

     Generosity doesn’t depend on the amount of treasures that we have. We can have a lot, we can have little, or we can have nothing at all and still be generous all the same.

     Don’t be afraid, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail where no thief approaches neither moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Luke 12:32-34).

What is the treasure?

     For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (34).

     We consider as treasure or prized possessions those that we appreciate, value, and love. It can be anything, like our life’s work, favorite books, or loved ones. We keep them beside us or to a place where we can readily see them. We keep them from other’s people interference. We watch over and take extra care of them.

     For it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom (32b).

     The kingdom of God is what we consider our greatest treasure. Thus, we value God’s rule in our lives and we prioritize Him above all other things. We take our relationship with Him and our work in His vineyard seriously. We try to be His good representatives on earth by bringing forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We do what we talked about in the last episode. We seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness.

     …a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail where no thief approaches neither moth destroys (33c)

     Heavenly treasure is a kind of treasure that is stored up in heaven. It is kept in God’s eternal abode and is not limited by space or time. Here on earth, nothing is ever reliable. The most-valuable object here can still be accessed through foul means by very-determined people, but the heavenly treasure is safe and secure from any malicious interference.

     Therefore, it is wise to store up treasures in heaven. Since the treasure that we store up in heaven is of heavenly composition and location, it is eternal, everlasting, and secure. It does not get damaged, decay, degrade, fade, deteriorate, and lose its value. It stays intact, pure, and pristine forever and ever.

     If we are wise in the kind of life that we live here on earth, we might even surprise ourselves on how much we have earned when we finally meet God in heaven.

How to store heavenly treasure?

     It starts with the right attitude.

     Don’t be afraid, little flock (32a).

     It is totally fine and sometimes advisable to have some degree of control over our money and to set some rules as to how our money should flow and where it should go. It is our right to do anything we want with our money because we worked hard for it.

     However, life is unpredictable. It may take us to a situation which calls for us to respond to a real, legitimate need. Will we be rigid in our rules or bend it a little for goodness’ sake?

     We are not encouraging people to despise work and rely on what we can give them, but we can be compassionate on those who are unable to lift themselves up.

     Although we are creatures of habit, we also need to be flexible from time to time. We should be discerning of the times and adjust accordingly.

     Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy (33a).

     When our attitude is okay, it is an easy thing to act it out. It would be going against the flow and fighting against our conscience if we still don’t do the thing that we have already settled in our mind as the right thing to do. We are fooling no one but ourselves.

     The Lord Jesus even asks us to give away all our material possessions until nothing is left in us. That’s the extent to which we should give off ourselves if that is the only way we can address the situation in front of us in the right way. “But that sounds crazy. What about me?” we may ask.

     However, God may have something in mind when He asks us to do something as crazy as that. May be it’s a test of faith, and we should just trust Him about it, that He has the situation in hand, that He got it. Besides, would God keep us in want when everything that we used to have seems to have been blown by the wind, never to return, just because we made the seemingly foolish decision to follow Him? Maybe He is intending to replace those with better things in life. Let’s just hope that God won’t disappoint although we know that He doesn’t.

     Or maybe we don’t have to sell all our stuff. Maybe we just need to be skillfully generous whenever we encounter a real, legitimate need.

     Generosity, therefore, doesn’t depend on the amount of treasures that we have. We can have a lot, we can have little, or we can have nothing at all and still be generous all the same.

     Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old (33b).

     If we are only sensible enough, we can find many opportunities for good work in our lives here on this evil-infested earth that will bring lasting impact, will be appreciated not only by our generation but by future ones, and will last forever until this world ends. More so if they are to translate as our treasure in heaven which will have eternal value. We should just get out of the box, think bigger, and quit being selfish, stingy, and self-serving.

     We can condition our mind to love or abhor something. If we think, based on our best judgment and common sense, that something is not worthy of our affections, then we should let it go.

     In the same way, we can teach ourselves to love something we know is right even if, at first, it doesn’t look desirable or inspire any mushy feelings. We should set our affections only on the right things because where our treasure is, there is our heart also.

Passage by Passage: Luke 12 series, episode 6

by: Marven T. Baldo