| “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” |
| —Matthew 6:19-21 |
I once knew a man who had admired a particular brand of sports car since he was seven years old. Finally, in his mid-fifties, he had finally earned enough money and saved enough of that money to purchase this $90,000 sports car. It was bright red with a black interior trimmed in white.
To say that he was ecstatically proud does not begin to describe how he felt. He gladly showed anyone who wanted to see this new possession all of the features of the vehicle. He even agreed to take certain people, especially young women, for a ride in his new car. You could hear him arrive in the parking lot at work each day because, once he found his parking spot, he would let the engine roar a couple of times before turning off the key.
About a month after he had bought the car, it was stolen from the parking lot at work. The police notified him a few days later that the car had been found, totally demolished, at the bottom of a steep ravine. It turned out that, while he had purchased liability insurance, he had not had enough funds left to purchase collision coverage, or comprehensive coverage, including theft coverage. Thus, the theft of the vehicle and the total destruction of his prized possession was not insured.
He was so devastated that he became a shell of a man for many, many months. You see, he had placed all of his heart into the ownership of this longed-for possession. It was so very sad to see how much this car had meant to him.
In talking with the crowd gathered on the hillside in Galilee, Jesus gave these instructions, found in Matthew 6:19-21:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
In response to this passage of Scripture, the question stated in the title of this blog post seems quite appropriate:
“What has captured our hearts?”
As we begin another new day, let’s pause to consider what, or whom, we have allowed to capture our hearts. Have we allowed something we own, or some dearly loved human whom we hold onto tightly, to capture our hearts? Or, have we given our hearts over to the One who loves us with His everlasting and unfailing love? How we answer this question is critical to our well-being, even our very existence:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
