We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Psalm 39:6-7

Followers of Jesus have a unique hope. We’ve got wealth that is stored for us where there’s no rust or threat of a break-in. Scripture refers to this storage place as heaven (Matthew 6:20), which Jews historically interpreted simply as, “in God’s realm.” “But honestly,” you might ask, “why bother with treasure you can’t access?”

The unique thing about hope found in Jesus is that our treasure is accessible right here, right now. God’s realm isn’t only in a place or time beyond this earth, but in the present too. The coming of Jesus to earth brought the Kingdom of God here, and the realm of God and the realm of this present reality began to overlap. When we realize that God’s kingdom is both now and then, we get to have our treasure and save it up too!

David noted in the Bible book of Psalms that people rushing around gathering material wealth were moving shadows (Psalm 39:6). They’re exhausting themselves for nothing because they can’t hang on to that wealth. David said his hope was in God. He wasn’t wasting his time and energy on a stockpile of money because his hope was already secured.

Jesus warned and advised us, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Material treasure can capture our hearts, but it can’t fulfill us. The reality of God’s kingdom is that we have a treasure both now and a hope for tomorrow. Jesus is our treasure who says, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).

 

Resource reading: Matthew 6:19-21