The Way of the Master involves at its core, treasuring. But what do we treasure? Jesus teaches very clearly that his disciples are to love God above all and give him all the glory, in other words, treasure God and his kingdom. What do you treasure?

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When you were a child, did you have a little toy or a teddy you treasured? I know I had a blanket called “blanky” the edge of which I was quite taken with to run my fingers over. When a child claims with great consternation that they simply must have such a treasure with them on that long car trip, they are revealing a rather more profound human need than we might think at first glance. Humans treasure things. We seek security for the things we treasure and we sacrifice greatly for that which we treasure highly. These treasures are not always material, often they are our reputation or security. Jesus is simply asking, are you treasuring the right things?

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Jesus, in line with his whole Sermon on the Mount—which is about the kingdom of the heavens—unsurprisingly tells us to treasure that which is of the kingdom because its eternally secure. Earthly treasures are constantly at risk of deterioration or theft. In contrast, heavenly treasures are quintessentially safe. Verse 21, Jesus drives home the clarion call of discipleship “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Our heart refers to the deepest part of our being, it is the well spring of our life, it is the executive centre of our souls. What we treasure, which involves what we think about, which involves what we get emotional about, what motivates us, is, what has captivated our heart.