The Audit
What Does It Mean to Store Up Treasures in Heaven? A Look at Matthew 6:19-24
Jesus did not come to make us feel good. He came to cut deep, to challenge how we live, what we value, and who we serve. Matthew 6:19-24 is one of those passages that forces us to stop and take an honest look at our lives.
What Is Jesus Really Saying in Matthew 6:19-24?
Before diving into the passage, it helps to understand the context. Back in Matthew 5:20, Jesus sets a high standard:
"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:20
That is a tall order. And everything that follows in chapters five and six is Jesus building toward that standard, giving us examples of how to live a life that reflects true righteousness. Matthew 6:19-24 is part of that larger conversation.
What Does "Don't Store Up Treasures on Earth" Actually Mean?
Jesus says in Matthew 6:19:
"Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." - Matthew 6:19
This does not mean you should not have a savings account. The original language points to something more like hoarding, taking up more than what you need, collecting in excess for yourself. Think of the toilet paper hoarding during the pandemic. That is the picture Jesus is painting.
The practical takeaway is simple: save your money. If you do not need it, do not buy it. But do not hoard. Do not obsessively accumulate for yourself.
Why Does Jesus Mention Moths and Thieves?
In Jesus' day, people stored their wealth in physical things, fine clothing, silver, valuable goods. Moths would eat the clothing. Rust or decay would wear away the metals. And thieves could take it all in a moment.
Jesus is making two points here:
- Everything gets consumed over time. Your money will eventually run out. Your possessions will wear down. Nothing on earth lasts forever.
- Things can end abruptly. A thief does not wait for the right time. A car accident does not schedule itself. The things we cling to can be gone in an instant.
The point is not to make us anxious. The point is to make us think carefully about what we are placing our hope and security in.
What Does It Mean to Store Up Treasures in Heaven?
Jesus flips the command in verse 20:
"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal." - Matthew 6:20
Not everything can be stored everywhere. You cannot put your car in a bank vault. You cannot deposit beans into a savings account. In the same way, not everything we value here can go with us into eternity. We come into this world with nothing, and we leave with nothing.
So the question becomes: what are you investing in that actually lasts?
Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be Also
Verse 21 is the pivot point of the entire passage:
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:21
Notice the order. It is not that your heart leads you to your treasure. It is the other way around. What you invest in shapes your heart. What you value determines how you see the world, how you make decisions, and what you are willing to sacrifice.
If you treasure work above everything else, every decision you make will be filtered through what is best for your career. If you treasure money, your faith will only be convenient as long as it does not cost you financially. What you value is the shape of your heart.
What Does the Eye Being a Lamp Have to Do With Money?
Verses 22 and 23 can feel like they come out of nowhere:
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness?" - Matthew 6:22-23
Jesus is asking: what are you focused on? What has your attention? Because what you fix your eyes on determines what you value, and what you value shapes your heart.
The sobering warning here is this: if you are focused on the wrong things, you can become so blind that you cannot even see your own blindness. You can think you are doing well while heading in the completely wrong direction.
Jesus wants to be the focal point of everything. Your work, your family, your finances, your hobbies, all of it needs to be filtered through Him. Not because He wants to control everything, but because everything makes more sense when He is at the center.
Can You Really Not Serve Two Masters?
Jesus closes this section with a direct statement in verse 24:
"No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or He will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." - Matthew 6:24
This is not about whether you can work two jobs. It is about loyalty. It is about who or what gets your ultimate devotion. You always serve what you value most. You can say you hate your job, but if you stay because of the paycheck, money is your master. You can say family is not more important than God, but if you consistently set aside what God is calling you to do because of what others will think, you are serving their approval.
James 1:8 puts it plainly:
"A double-minded person is unstable in all their ways." - James 1:8
Trying to serve two masters does not produce balance. It produces instability. And the remedy, according to James 1:5, is not a complicated religious process:
"Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to Him." - James 1:5
Sometimes you just need to talk to God. Ask Him for wisdom. He gives it generously.
What Happens When You Choose to Serve God Over Everything Else?
Choosing God over comfort, security, or opportunity is rarely easy. It often does not come with an immediate reward. But it does come with something better: the experience of God as your actual provider and sustainer, not just a concept you believe in, but a reality you have lived.
James 4:6-10 gives us the path forward:
"God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you." - James 4:6-8, 10
The invitation is simple. Draw near to Him. Value Him above everything else. Let your treasure be Jesus, and watch how your heart follows.
Life Application
This week, take an honest audit of your life. Look at where your time, money, and attention actually go, not where you wish they went. That is where your treasure is. That is the shape of your heart right now.
The challenge is this: identify one area of your life where something other than God has become your master, whether it is money, approval, comfort, or ambition, and take one concrete step to reorient that area toward Him. It might mean having a conversation you have been avoiding, adjusting how you spend your money, or simply spending time in prayer asking God for wisdom about a decision you have been wrestling with.
Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:
- What is the one thing in my life that, if I lost it, would completely unravel me? Is that thing Jesus, or is it something else?
- Where am I trying to serve two masters right now, and what would it look like to fully choose one?
- If my daily decisions were filtered entirely through Jesus, what would change first?
You cannot serve two masters. But you can choose the right one, and He is faithful to those who do.