Treasure in Heaven

[Unofficial Reverand Alex]

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. "--Matthew 6
​

Treasure in heaven is something I've heard of before, and I'm sure many other Christians have. Non-Christians, I don't know if you would have heard this term very much, but the more spiritual ones may have heard of the idea in different words. Treasure in heaven is the analogy of storing up good deeds, prayers, and I suppose even good thoughts & intentions, focusing our eyes & minds towards something higher than this life.

The thought has always been abstract to me. I try to visualize how much "treasure" is higher, how much I've given up, or not given up but done for right reasons, or do non-actions count....I'm short, I get confused. But that was before yesterday afternoon.

I was walking with a friend around Chicago, going on a trip downtown, to UIC, and, by accident, Little Italy. (By the way, you can get amazing Italian & meatball subs on the intersection of Polk & Carpenter!). In any case, nothing on this trip mattered nearly as much as a couple people we passed on our way back to the train station. A man and a woman, sitting on the corner of Wabash & something, with a cardboard sign saying they needed $38 for a place to stay overnight. I have developed a habit of saving bags of chips that come with my college meals to distribute across the homeless when I go to Chicago; it's a great habit, I fed a little to a lot of people, and was out of snacks by the time I came across these people. Their sign asked for $38, and I started to count this out, rounding up to $40.

"Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." --Matthew 10:8
​

I do not come from a good financial background. Working class family, son of a factory worker & substitute teacher, only affording college by vast financial aid & fiscally responsible parents. Yet I knew that I would be okay; my housing & food is paid for, I still had a weekend pass for the train, and my parents cover expenses when I'm back at home. I literally emptied my wallet to these people, and frankly, I don't know how much I gave. Why count? I would be okay, and with my generosity, so would these two people. I stayed & talked with them for awhile, found out some of their life story, and the faith in God they were struggling to maintain, but still holding onto. I can honestly say that I feel changed after talking with them. Nothing in particular that they said inspired change, but just the idea of what I was doing. Left to my own, that $40 probably would've gone to some nice wine & good music albums (hey, I try to be classy!). Wine & music are good, but sitting right in front of me was two people struggling to survive, surrounded by one of the most glittering cities in the world. They told me which doorway they sleep under, the jobs they're trying to get, the way they check the weather to anticipate preparations for rain, the life stories of abuse, a son committing suicide, and job loss that led them to this point. After this conversation, I knew that I would never be able to make a major frivolous purchase again. I would love an electronic drumset; a good one would run more than $1,000. This couple could have a warm room with a shower for a month if I gave them the money instead; which one would be more lasting? The drum set would last longer than a month, but at the end of my life, what will bring me a deeper sense of having done something great with my life?

This is when I really understood what "treasure in heaven" meant. It's not the idea of counting things in the sky vs. things on Earth; it's giving my time & spare money & chips to people who need it, investing my money in a timeless act of supporting those who need it rather than a finite object that will break or be forgotten. I know full well a drum set would go awhile without use sometimes; I've had my bass for 4 years now, and I only recently started playing it consistently. Why would a drum set be any different?

"Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." --Matthew 10:8

When I told this couple the Bible verse, after handing them $40 (plus $20 from my friend), they were a little amazed. They said (and many will agree) that when people say these Christian things, it sometimes sounds corny. But this...I said that I try to take this teaching seriously, and they thought it was great that I could actually apply it like this. It's one of the few Bible verses I have memorized, but I would rather be able to apply 1 than know them all in a strictly abstract sense.

I passed a few more homeless people with my friend on our way back to the train station. We walked past them; I had nothing left to give, and we had a train to catch. And I will eventually forget this act. Yet unlike treasures in this life, a treasure in heaven that I forget will still good its meaning. One day, I'll be called out of this life, and any drum set or wine will be very arbitrary at that point. But my treasure in heaven will be the only treasure I have, and I pray that it will be remembered on my behalf.

 

[Noxot]

Paul mentioned what crowns are crowns. If you would have gave my brother that money he would have bought some drugs and made himself seizure out again. Thankfully he's never seizured out on train tracks and got cut in half by a train. He's had some close calls by other homeless people and by cops and he has also done his fair share of evil.

Dak Prescott was nice enough to buy him a little bit of food though.

 

[awitch]

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. "--Matthew 6​

​

The Vatican is worth between 10 and 15 billion dollars.

Treasure in heaven is something I've heard of before, and I'm sure many other Christians have. Non-Christians, I don't know if you would have heard this term very much, but the more spiritual ones may have heard of the idea in different words. Treasure in heaven is the analogy of storing up good deeds, prayers, and I suppose even good thoughts & intentions, focusing our eyes & minds towards something higher than this life.

I wouldn't know. I'm not going to heaven.

I passed a few more homeless people with my friend on our way back to the train station. We walked past them; I had nothing left to give, and we had a train to catch. And I will eventually forget this act. Yet unlike treasures in this life, a treasure in heaven that I forget will still good its meaning. One day, I'll be called out of this life, and any drum set or wine will be very arbitrary at that point. But my treasure in heaven will be the only treasure I have, and I pray that it will be remembered on my behalf.

Perhaps instead of giving our money to a church with all sorts of crazy overhead (and potential corruption), we should give our charitable donations directly to those who need it instead.

 

[Unofficial Reverand Alex]

The Vatican is worth between 10 and 15 billion dollars.



I wouldn't know. I'm not going to heaven.



Perhaps instead of giving our money to a church with all sorts of crazy overhead (and potential corruption), we should give our charitable donations directly to those who need it instead.

Was there anything in my post that referenced giving money to churches? These comments seem out of place in a thread about giving money directly to those who need it.

 

[awitch]

Was there anything in my post that referenced giving money to churches? These comments seem out of place in a thread about giving money directly to those who need it.

I'll elaborate:
You cited a passage that warns about saving up earthly treasures instead of heavenly treasures and I pointed out how wealthy the Vatican is.

Then you told your story of giving your money to a couple who needed it instead of using it for your own luxury (which is awesome of you, by the way).

So I expanded on that; instead of giving your money to a wealthy church who takes a cut, donate it directly. Your donation will go a lot farther.

 

[Noxot]

I too think it wiser to give directly. It's more personal, it's more human. It's closer to how reality should work. That's kind of why I don't like big systems of socialism and such. I think that in some ways it disconnects us from our Humanity and doesn't address the fullness of the problem. But of course people are still worth helping.

Rather than a bureaucratic governmental system I want a living community of charity. Even the way the world functions could be altered enough to greatly help others but it would be a big blow to how things are.

Imagine if everyone had a home that they never had to pay fees for living in their home like taxes or rent. that alone would help them out so much in trying to make it in the world. Surely some kind of raising of the Baseline is needed to help our current social situations. Covid has helped to show us weaknesses in our systems.

You would never go homeless if you had a home. It's pure logic.

 

[Noxot]

Yep the Vatican is Rich. The government is rich too. Apparently the usa government has so much money that they could give all homeless people a mansion. The military industrial complex alone has billions and billions. I'm sure that some of that money could be redirected into better training of police officers and of helping out those in need. 750 billion dollars is a lot of money.

 

[Unofficial Reverand Alex]

Then you told your story of giving your money to a couple who needed it instead of using it for your own luxury (which is awesome of you, by the way).

I do appreciate you saying this.

I'll elaborate:
You cited a passage that warns about saving up earthly treasures instead of heavenly treasures and I pointed out how wealthy the Vatican is.

So I expanded on that; instead of giving your money to a wealthy church who takes a cut, donate it directly. Your donation will go a lot farther.

To address the rest of your post, since I want this thread to stay more on the abstract treasure-in-heaven theme, I started another thread to address the expense of Church buildings.

What is the purpose of the Church?

 

[Robban]

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. "--Matthew 6
​

Treasure in heaven is something I've heard of before, and I'm sure many other Christians have. Non-Christians, I don't know if you would have heard this term very much, but the more spiritual ones may have heard of the idea in different words. Treasure in heaven is the analogy of storing up good deeds, prayers, and I suppose even good thoughts & intentions, focusing our eyes & minds towards something higher than this life.

The thought has always been abstract to me. I try to visualize how much "treasure" is higher, how much I've given up, or not given up but done for right reasons, or do non-actions count....I'm short, I get confused. But that was before yesterday afternoon.

I was walking with a friend around Chicago, going on a trip downtown, to UIC, and, by accident, Little Italy. (By the way, you can get amazing Italian & meatball subs on the intersection of Polk & Carpenter!). In any case, nothing on this trip mattered nearly as much as a couple people we passed on our way back to the train station. A man and a woman, sitting on the corner of Wabash & something, with a cardboard sign saying they needed $38 for a place to stay overnight. I have developed a habit of saving bags of chips that come with my college meals to distribute across the homeless when I go to Chicago; it's a great habit, I fed a little to a lot of people, and was out of snacks by the time I came across these people. Their sign asked for $38, and I started to count this out, rounding up to $40.

"Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." --Matthew 10:8
​

I do not come from a good financial background. Working class family, son of a factory worker & substitute teacher, only affording college by vast financial aid & fiscally responsible parents. Yet I knew that I would be okay; my housing & food is paid for, I still had a weekend pass for the train, and my parents cover expenses when I'm back at home. I literally emptied my wallet to these people, and frankly, I don't know how much I gave. Why count? I would be okay, and with my generosity, so would these two people. I stayed & talked with them for awhile, found out some of their life story, and the faith in God they were struggling to maintain, but still holding onto. I can honestly say that I feel changed after talking with them. Nothing in particular that they said inspired change, but just the idea of what I was doing. Left to my own, that $40 probably would've gone to some nice wine & good music albums (hey, I try to be classy!). Wine & music are good, but sitting right in front of me was two people struggling to survive, surrounded by one of the most glittering cities in the world. They told me which doorway they sleep under, the jobs they're trying to get, the way they check the weather to anticipate preparations for rain, the life stories of abuse, a son committing suicide, and job loss that led them to this point. After this conversation, I knew that I would never be able to make a major frivolous purchase again. I would love an electronic drumset; a good one would run more than $1,000. This couple could have a warm room with a shower for a month if I gave them the money instead; which one would be more lasting? The drum set would last longer than a month, but at the end of my life, what will bring me a deeper sense of having done something great with my life?

This is when I really understood what "treasure in heaven" meant. It's not the idea of counting things in the sky vs. things on Earth; it's giving my time & spare money & chips to people who need it, investing my money in a timeless act of supporting those who need it rather than a finite object that will break or be forgotten. I know full well a drum set would go awhile without use sometimes; I've had my bass for 4 years now, and I only recently started playing it consistently. Why would a drum set be any different?

"Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." --Matthew 10:8

When I told this couple the Bible verse, after handing them $40 (plus $20 from my friend), they were a little amazed. They said (and many will agree) that when people say these Christian things, it sometimes sounds corny. But this...I said that I try to take this teaching seriously, and they thought it was great that I could actually apply it like this. It's one of the few Bible verses I have memorized, but I would rather be able to apply 1 than know them all in a strictly abstract sense.

I passed a few more homeless people with my friend on our way back to the train station. We walked past them; I had nothing left to give, and we had a train to catch. And I will eventually forget this act. Yet unlike treasures in this life, a treasure in heaven that I forget will still good its meaning. One day, I'll be called out of this life, and any drum set or wine will be very arbitrary at that point. But my treasure in heaven will be the only treasure I have, and I pray that it will be remembered on my behalf.

​

Treasure in heaven is something I've heard of before, and I'm sure many other Christians have. Non-Christians, I don't know if you would have heard this term very much, but the more spiritual ones may have heard of the idea in different words. Treasure in heaven is the analogy of storing up good deeds, prayers, and I suppose even good thoughts & intentions, focusing our eyes & minds towards something higher than this life.

The thought has always been abstract to me. I try to visualize how much "treasure" is higher, how much I've given up, or not given up but done for right reasons, or do non-actions count....I'm short, I get confused. But that was before yesterday afternoon.

I was walking with a friend around Chicago, going on a trip downtown, to UIC, and, by accident, Little Italy. (By the way, you can get amazing Italian & meatball subs on the intersection of Polk & Carpenter!). In any case, nothing on this trip mattered nearly as much as a couple people we passed on our way back to the train station. A man and a woman, sitting on the corner of Wabash & something, with a cardboard sign saying they needed $38 for a place to stay overnight. I have developed a habit of saving bags of chips that come with my college meals to distribute across the homeless when I go to Chicago; it's a great habit, I fed a little to a lot of people, and was out of snacks by the time I came across these people. Their sign asked for $38, and I started to count this out, rounding up to $40.

"Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." --Matthew 10:8
​

I do not come from a good financial background. Working class family, son of a factory worker & substitute teacher, only affording college by vast financial aid & fiscally responsible parents. Yet I knew that I would be okay; my housing & food is paid for, I still had a weekend pass for the train, and my parents cover expenses when I'm back at home. I literally emptied my wallet to these people, and frankly, I don't know how much I gave. Why count? I would be okay, and with my generosity, so would these two people. I stayed & talked with them for awhile, found out some of their life story, and the faith in God they were struggling to maintain, but still holding onto. I can honestly say that I feel changed after talking with them. Nothing in particular that they said inspired change, but just the idea of what I was doing. Left to my own, that $40 probably would've gone to some nice wine & good music albums (hey, I try to be classy!). Wine & music are good, but sitting right in front of me was two people struggling to survive, surrounded by one of the most glittering cities in the world. They told me which doorway they sleep under, the jobs they're trying to get, the way they check the weather to anticipate preparations for rain, the life stories of abuse, a son committing suicide, and job loss that led them to this point. After this conversation, I knew that I would never be able to make a major frivolous purchase again. I would love an electronic drumset; a good one would run more than $1,000. This couple could have a warm room with a shower for a month if I gave them the money instead; which one would be more lasting? The drum set would last longer than a month, but at the end of my life, what will bring me a deeper sense of having done something great with my life?

This is when I really understood what "treasure in heaven" meant. It's not the idea of counting things in the sky vs. things on Earth; it's giving my time & spare money & chips to people who need it, investing my money in a timeless act of supporting those who need it rather than a finite object that will break or be forgotten. I know full well a drum set would go awhile without use sometimes; I've had my bass for 4 years now, and I only recently started playing it consistently. Why would a drum set be any different?

"Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." --Matthew 10:8

When I told this couple the Bible verse, after handing them $40 (plus $20 from my friend), they were a little amazed. They said (and many will agree) that when people say these Christian things, it sometimes sounds corny. But this...I said that I try to take this teaching seriously, and they thought it was great that I could actually apply it like this. It's one of the few Bible verses I have memorized, but I would rather be able to apply 1 than know them all in a strictly abstract sense.

I passed a few more homeless people with my friend on our way back to the train station. We walked past them; I had nothing left to give, and we had a train to catch. And I will eventually forget this act. Yet unlike treasures in this life, a treasure in heaven that I forget will still good its meaning. One day, I'll be called out of this life, and any drum set or wine will be very arbitrary at that point. But my treasure in heaven will be the only treasure I have, and I pray that it will be remembered on my behalf.

Speaking for myself, I do not care about heavenly treasure,
if I give it is out of sympathy or whatever the word is.

Meaning by putting myself in anothers shoes and feeling the pain.
It does not happen all the time,
but it is not my purpose to save the whole world either.

 

[Robban]

Speaking for myself, I do not care about heavenly treasure,
if I give it is out of sympathy or whatever the word is.

Meaning by putting myself in anothers shoes and feeling the pain.
It does not happen all the time,
but it is not my purpose to save the whole world either.

But I suppoes it depends on one's view of things,
for example,
one wise sage has said;
"A soul may descend to earth/into the world and live happily for 70-80 years,
for the sole purpose of doing another a favor,
either material or, most certainly, spiritual."

If the Godly soul is seen as a princess that is sent away
to another land, away from the palace where there are riches in abundance.
It is not so strange then that she gets homesick.
Because nothing in the land she has been sent to can compare with what she left behind.

 

[Robban]

Speaking for myself, I do not care about heavenly treasure,
if I give it is out of sympathy or whatever the word is.

Meaning by putting myself in anothers shoes and feeling the pain.
It does not happen all the time,
but it is not my purpose to save the whole world either.

Edit.
......do not care about heavenly treasure,

should be,
......laying up of heavenly treasure.

But then, some stars shine brighter than others.