Where is Your Treasure?

At least three separate locations in Scripture record accounts of people tempted by greed. In each of them, those who succumb to greediness for earthly treasures arrive at disastrous results. Sometimes the greed shows itself in a person’s unwillingness to share what they own; other times it is a desire for what they hope to attain. But in every case, greedy living leads to spiritual downfall.

In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus answered a greed-driven interruption with a parable about a man who suddenly gained great physical wealth and perished shortly after. The man was a fool because he had not considered what would please God in any of his decisions; he had not thanked God for the blessings, nor had he imagined that what God had given him might be useful to anyone other than himself.

A similar series of events is recorded in Isaiah 37:14-38. At that time, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, thought to conquer Jerusalem without God’s consent, forgetting that his might and power had been given as a blessing from God to be used for God’s purposes. Instead of conquering Jerusalem, Sennacherib returned home in defeat and was assassinated shortly thereafter.

God warned the Israelites in Deuteronomy 8:11-18 that they would be tempted to forget Him after receiving all their earthly blessings in the promised land of Canaan. Sadly, the book of Judges shows that God’s warnings affected only about one generation and were then forgotten, leading to God’s disciplinary actions through various enemy nations (Judges 2:10).

Whenever greed becomes any person’s motivation, whether for things currently possessed or those that are just out of reach, spiritual disaster is not far off. Make decisions based on spiritually sound principles. Seek souls, strengthen brethren, and become a holier person. Lay up treasure in heaven, not here on earth. Remember, Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:33-34).