The Treasure of the Heart

There are two sure-fire ways to know where someone's heart is really at, or where our own hearts are at if we're going to be honest [which is a very good idea]. And before we look at these things I would just like to inform one and all that it is Jesus who characterized these particular traits that show us so much about a person's heart. One is what someone chooses to talk about the most. One brother in Christ that I knew years ago said if you want to know where someone is at, just let them talk and they'll show you. There can be no real dispute to that, seeing Jesus said the same: "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh" (Lk. 6:45). People talk about a lot of things, and people who are in Christ will naturally talk about the Lord some as well, maybe a lot. But that doesn't assure anything about where their heart is truly at. Isaiah spoke of God's people in his day who had a lot to say about the Lord, but still were not righteous in God's eyes: "Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness" (Isa. 48:1). The things those people had to say about the Lord was more about the religious traditions and rhetoric of their day than it was about their love of God's righteousness. Unfortunately that kind of thing still goes on today within the body of Christ. When someone is in that particular vein they will always come back around to talking about what they really love the most, which in that case will be something to do with this present life. There are murderers who were not found out otherwise, who ended up in prison over something else, and couldn't help but boast to their cell mate about the murder they had gotten away with. "From the abundance of [their] heart," their words ended up causing them to be convicted for the crime that they had seemed to get away with.

People just can't help but talk about what means the most to them. I couldn't count the people I've been around who couldn't talk about anything other than their families, and what was going on with them. There's certainly no harm in some of that, but when it's all anyone talks about it's easy to see that their family is their whole life. Nothing or no one should be our whole life, other than the one who died for us and is with us in every moment that we breathe. In fact it is he that provides us with our very breath: "In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind" (Job 12:10). That's one good reason that Jesus should be our whole life, though there are endless more reasons. Nonetheless, whatever someone is 'chomping at the bit' to talk about is surely what is most important to them. Sometimes it is what someone does NOT say that can give more insight into their heart. For example, if it's time to speak out against evil in a situation, or to speak up for Jesus; and we fail to to so, it shows that we fear men more than we fear and love God. Jesus addressed this malady in no uncertain terms: "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels" (Mk. 8:38). So whether it is in speaking or failing to speak, either way we are going to show ourselves for what we are by our words, or lack thereof. Our heart is always going to tell on us, including if our heart is pure and right with God: "He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend" (Prov. 22:11). I have to say, it is absolutely my motivation to always be found in that number, with the 'King of Glory' considering me his friend. My last word on the 'words' issue is the sobering admonition that Jesus left us with, that surely puts an exclamation point on the reality of our words showing where our heart is at: "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Mat. 12:36,37). I believe that needs no commentary.

But let's move on to the other unmistakable indicator of where our hearts are at before God. Jesus spoke very plainly about this particular measuring stick as well: "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Lk. 12:33,34). The word 'treasure' in this passage comes from the Greek word 'Thesauros,' and it means 'a place where someone stores their valuables, or a storehouse.' So the connotation is clear, which is to say whatever we are most minded to do with our money, will clearly show where our heart is at. I don't believe that the part about "Sell all that ye have, and give alms," is a perpetual commandment for us to live by. If it were then we simply couldn't live because we generally have to have money to live in society. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that what Jesus said was some kind of spiritual metaphor, because it wasn't. I believe that he was punctuating the point about the statement he made afterward, that our hearts are showing what is most valuable to us by how we are using our money. Neither do I believe that we are shown to be wicked because we spend money for things that we don't absolutely need. But if we are bent in that direction, and we're bent away from the direction of being helpful to someone who has legitimate need, then we have a problem. John addressed that ill with righteous directness: "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (I Jn. 3:17) One of my favorite passages in the Bible reveals the truth that it's not the amount of money that someone uses for good, but rather the motivation of their heart: "And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had" (Lk. 21:1-4). I just love the way God sees things, don't you?

That passage of scripture goes along with a known fact that poor people generally help poor people more than rich people help poor people. Knowing what it's like to be in need seems to motivate people to help others more so than just having the means to do so. And as is the case with words, sometimes what someone does NOT do with their money says more about them than what they ARE doing. In fact you really don't know a person very well until you've had the opportunity to see what they choose to do or not do with their money. I've seen it more times than I can count, that someone will talk the talk all the way down the line, and I mean about Jesus and the Gospel; and even about doing what's right with their money. But so many times I have sadly observed someone in such case, that their 'treasure' as Jesus put it, ended up not being in the right place at all. That particular spiritual ill as you can see, involves both our words and what we do with our money; so it's evident that we should be careful of what we say about what we will do with our money, if we're not actually going to do it when the time comes. Those kind of words are the ones Jesus was talking about when he said, "and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." So as I did with the 'words' issue, I'll close out the 'money' issue with an equally sobering statement; this one from the apostle Paul: "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (I Tim. 6:6-10). I believe these things should provide us with a lot of godly consideration by which we can keep the scriptural admonition that tells us. "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (II Cor. 13:5). And all I have left is, Amen.