[Jesus speaking]
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.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭16‬-‭21‬
[Jesus speaking]
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.
And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’”
This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.

What treasures do I value? If they were taken away in an instant, how would I respond?

What I value tells a lot about the life priorities I have. I have a seven year-old that values his hot wheels, his bike, and his drum set. If his bike was stolen he would probably be pretty sad, as he saved up his money for it. But I believe he values his family more than all of these things.

As I have grown older in life, the temptation is to save up money and investments to multiply them and gain more wealth. This is smart, and a good business plan. However, if this plan consumes me, then I will get to the end of my life with little of eternal consequence to show for it.

Over my life, at different times, I have overvalued my career, my reputation (when falsely accused), my free time, and my car. God has needed to allow things to happen in my life to “wake me up”. In the end, valuing these things over the things of God is a fruitless endeavor. The parable of the hoarding man is proof of this. The things we hoard can be gone in an instant.

So how do I store up treasures in heaven? I do this by fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and doing God’s will each day. The Great Commission calls me to preach the gospel, baptize, and disciple the people around me who want to follow Jesus. And God’s will is found primarily by reading his Word, the Bible, and then by listening to his voice in prayer.

The currency of heaven is changed lives. We get to help God rescue people from darkness and into light, and usher them into the Kingdom of the Almighty God. No other type of wealth can compare to this!

Lord, thank you for your Word, which illuminates the best eternal wealth-building strategy in life. Help me to put you first and invest in people above things.