Spiritual Bank Account

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19 – 21 How many people look at this verse and wonder how, exactly, one would lay up their treasures in heaven. One of the most clear implications here is to place your “heart” there as verse 21 alludes to, but there is more to this passage than just the superficial idea of placing your faith in Christ. Notice that it doesn’t say “treasure” (singular) but “treasures” (plural). Having your faith in Christ places the one treasure in heaven, but what are the others? In the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14 – 30) the Lord rebukes the unprofitable servant saying “thou wicked and slothful servant, though knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received my own with usury” (vv 26 – 27). The idea presented is that a person can essentially deal with their spiritual gifts in a manner similar to how one would deal with money. This is the same idea presented in the focus scripture. So we should consider what it means to invest our spiritual gifts in ways that have heavenly returns.

So, consider the idea of making a deposit into your spiritual bank account or investing in heaven. The “talent” which all believers are given as a minimum is “faith” (Ephesians 2:8). We see in the parable of the talents how that the “good and faithful” servants returned not only the talent they were given but other talents as well. These talents are portrayed as the same kind of talent given. In more current application, dollars returned more dollars, rather than a trading of dollars for other goods. So your faith, properly invested will yield more faith, but not just an increase of your own. The servants which made returns didn’t just return the same talents they had received but with more value. They returned additional talents. So with faith, we need to return more than our own faith. Another allusion made in the parable is that the faithful servants seem to have used their talents in ways similar to how we make investments. The wicked servant having been rebuked for having not at least given his talent to the exchangers, essentially the same way we would do trade investing today via the stock market or deposits into accounts that yield interest. For such methods to work, that money must be used. The funds in such accounts are lent out to people who use those funds to establish their own business and pay a return. Faith is no different. We must invest our faith into others so that they will become established in the faith as well.

In so doing you have deposited a treasure into heaven. When another person puts their faith in Christ, the sure outcome of that is their presence in eternity with Christ, and by extension, yourself. One of the great hopes we have in Christ is an existence which enjoys companionship with others. The primary enjoyment being that we will be able to spend time in fellowship with Christ. Consider examples: “Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Mark 14:25). “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna” (Revelation 2:17). These promises have ties to how we currently have fellowship with others via communion but also in general eating and drinking. The sacrifices in the law of thanksgiving and peace were not just animals burned on the altar. These animals would be prepared and eaten by the priests and the person making the offering: a portion being burned in the fire to represent God eating with us. The laws required that with the animal, certain other provisions were to be offered as well in the form of wheat with oil and salt. These elements were used to make bread. Along with this was acceptance of drink offerings. All of these elements were pointing us to a day where we would have the ability to share meals with Christ, the same way we do now. Consider how much more is involved in times like this with earthly friends. We often celebrate with cookouts or parties where a major staple is the food, but the enjoyment of those occasions isn’t primarily in the food: it’s in the companionship of those attending. The purpose in these promises to believers is no different. We have all been invited to the biggest wedding celebration ever and I believe that most people would agree that such circumstances are typically better with more attendants. This is a celebration which will never end and is promised to have eternal enjoyment. We will eat, drink, chat, dance, sing, and in general be merry. Only God knows the full extent of what such merriment will entail, but one thing can be absolutely certain, we will enjoy it more if we are surrounded by people we know. So, then our investments are the faith we share with others. Every time we tell someone about what Jesus has done in our lives, we have extended them an invitation to the wedding. Every time we bring someone to church, we are asking them to come celebrate with us in eternity. Every time we answer the question as to the hope that we have, we are putting our money to the exchangers, hoping to see a return on our investment because sharing our faith will bring others to also share in our eternal joy. Such are heavenly treasures, deposited into the most secure bank ever created and with returns that ensure we can never overdraw the account. Have you made a deposit today?