The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

—Matthew 6:19–21

If we ask ourselves regularly where our hearts are—and answer honestly—we will often find they are holding on to the temporary things of this earth.

The following questions bring some clarity: 

• What are we focused on to the exclusion of other things?
• What brings anxiety to our hearts?
• What do we think about when we first wake up in the morning?
• What causes the most tension in our relationships?

If we put our treasure and heart’s desire in Christ and become completely taken up with him, we won’t be fazed by the gain or loss of earthly things. We’ll recognize the truth that the earthly is all temporary and will fade away with age, destruction, or theft. Above all, we will want to live for the things that count for eternity.

May we always be checking where we’ve put our hearts and our treasure and redirecting when necessary.

This is not a one–time action. We must be alert to each new worldly temptation. Some of them can look very like heavenly gifts until our motives are brought to light. For instance, if our motive for godly work is so that others will believe we are good, then our treasure is in the opinion of man.

Our heart for the Lord’s good works is building eternal treasure when it isn’t set on any earthly outcome or reward (Matthew 6:1).

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