“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
In plain words: Don't pile up riches here, where things wear out or get stolen. Collect what lasts with God, because your heart will follow whatever you value most.
What Matthew 6:19-21 means.
Jesus says to store up treasure in heaven, because where your treasure is, your heart will be too.
Common questions about Matthew 6:19-21
Is Jesus saying money and nice things are bad?
No. Jesus is not saying that having money or nice things is wrong. The Bible says God gives us good things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). The trouble starts when stuff becomes the boss of your life. A few verses later, Jesus says no one can serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). Things can break, rust, or be stolen, and they can't give you a life that lasts. Jesus invites you to hold what you have loosely and hold on to Him tightly.
Apply it today: Thank God for one thing you own or enjoy, and ask Him to help you hold it with open hands.
What are treasures in heaven?
Jesus does not give a list in these verses, but look at what comes just before them. He talks about helping people in need, praying, and living for God instead of to impress others (Matthew 6:1-18). So treasure in heaven is what matters to God and lasts: loving Him, loving people, and showing kindness. It is not a way to earn your place with God. The Bible says we are saved by grace, which means a gift from God, received by trusting Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Apply it today: Do one kind thing for someone today that nobody else will see.
What does it mean that my heart follows my treasure?
Your heart goes where your treasure is. Think about something you love: you check on it, worry about it, and talk about it. Jesus knows our hearts work this way. So He asks a hard but kind question: what are you building your life on? Later in the same chapter, He tells us to look for God's kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). When God comes first, everything else finds its right place.
Apply it today: Write down the three things that took most of your thoughts this week, and ask whether any of them will last.
Ask anything about it.
Every question gets a clear answer in seconds, and a way to live it today.
Live it today.
Invest in something eternal this week: a person, a ministry, someone’s need.
Pray it back.
Jesus, let my treasure be where my heart belongs, with You.
Carry it all day.
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