In His famous Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew chapter six, Christ categorically surmised that where a man’s treasure is, there also shall be his heart.

Spend time with someone, or check their Facebook posts, twits and Instagram account, and observe their conversation, and you will easily understand the placement of their priorities. Not only that but also what causes them to worry and to be concerned so much shows their deepest desires.

Your desires direct your deeds, as surely as a pilot directs the plane. Christ, who is undoubtedly the greatest Teacher of all by reason of His divinity insists that there are two kinds of people ultimately. There are those who store for themselves treasures on earth and those who do so in heaven.

Those who store on earth contemplate earthly things, the things that perish. Those who stock treasures in heaven meditate on heavenly things.

But as sure as the things seen are temporal (as can be deduced from both experience and scripture), the things unseen are eternal. Thus wisdom is seen in those who gather the imperishable rather than the perishables.

The man whose priorities are directed by earthly desires is like one who gathers sand in his hands, for not only will he never have enough, but he will also lose everything in a matter of minutes or milliseconds when the rain comes, or the sea waves strike.

The other thing to consider is that the pursuit of the Kingdom of God is neither temporal nor part-time. We cannot seek God only in the evenings or on Sundays. Until we are satisfied only by Him so that we pursue Him without ceasing, we shall still be storing up trivial treasures on earth.

But you may say ‘I treasure God!’ and you may be right. But consider for example, how often we claim that God is our reward but suppose that we know this by having a visa or money in the bank.

In this, we suppose that the proof of the spiritual is the abundance of the material, as though temporal things are the indicators of the eternal. A person who has tasted of the promises of God knows that there is none like them on earth, as much as infinity has no equal within the finite. To the things of God, what is seen can only be a pointer, a shadow, and never the reality.

Consider how also we say we trust God, but find ourselves anxious of what to eat or drink, when Christ our Savior commanded us not to be worried about these things, on the grounds that the Gentiles worry about the same, and that our heavenly Father already knows we need them and supplies them unto those who trust Him.

When we have God as our singular focus, then even our motivation for working is not money, but the glory of God. In this we apply the exhortation of the Apostle who says thus; “whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Col 3:23). In other words, if your treasure is in heaven, working is not to men (as to your boss) but unto God, not for money but God’s glory.

This is the way in which the pursuit of God is not relegated to the weekend, but is daily. Your workplace becomes your ministry outpost rather than a detraction from your delight in God.

Consider also the desire for knowledge exemplified in the world and (wrongly) scorned by some in the church. Of course, the fallacy of the fallen world consists in its pursuit of earthly wisdom devoid of divine substance. But knowledge is good in and of itself, for all accurate knowledge is from God.

Therefore, as believers, because our treasure is in knowing God, we ought to direct our minds to know Him honestly, both experientially and with the faculty of our mind.

But how often have we despised those in the church who pursue training in the things of God, branding them as ‘legalistic’ and ‘constraining’ even when most of us either trained concerning earthly professions or approve of those who do so? What does this say about where our treasure is?

So then I ask, where is your treasure? And the answer to this question is found in what frequently occupies your heart and makes you restless without it.

Preachers who spend much time speaking about money rather than do expository preaching reveal what their treasure is. One self-styled apostle was adamant to claim that 99% of your needs are solved by money. Would it not be right to conclude that such a one as this is an apostle for money who is misleading many?

Another Televangelist is doing a campaign to buy a fifty-four-million-dollar private jet, ‘for the Lord’ in his words. He already owns at least two others. He claims he needs it to preach the gospel more, forgetting that the very point of being a Televangelist is that you don’t have to travel to preach the Gospel.

But these are examples in which we deceive many and ourselves that we treasure God when in reality our priorities are earthly.

So what is in your heart? What is it that brings you the ultimate satisfaction, status, and identity? What is it about which you pray most? Is it for the revelation of the glory of God or the abundance of gold? Are you consumed with the salvation of lost souls or the balance on your monthly bank statements?

Is your treasure in heaven or here on earth? Is it a future hope or a present sight? Can you touch your desire, watch it increase or reduce with your natural eyes?

What do you spend your time thinking about, fantasising about, talking about? What consumes you, rejoicing your heart? What do you talk about most with your friends? For your praises reveal your pleasures and priorities.

Are you of those who store for themselves treasures on earth or of those who do so in heaven? Where is your treasure? Remember, as Jesus said, where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.