1 Kings 7:51: “So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.”

July 10th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Many years before the construction of the temple was even started, King David, freely and with pleasure, set aside his “personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple” (1 Chron. 29:3, NIV). He was a powerful, living example to his son Solomon of how to properly prioritizing material possessions and the importance of cheerfully giving to God. Once the temple was completed, King Solomon carefully placed the things his father had set aside into the treasury of the Lord.

Jesus took this concept a step farther with His disciples, counseling them to lay up their treasures in heaven rather than on earth:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6:19–21)

Notice that Jesus didn’t say that where our heart is our treasure will be, but that where our treasure is our heart is going to be. So we can become more heavenly-hearted by putting a bigger investment of our treasure in heaven. Our hearts will then follow. This is part of the reason why God said David was a man after His own heart.

The beauty of this is that the treasures we store in heaven are forever exempt from decay and theft. It’s good every now and then to stop and test our hearts, asking ourselves, “What is my treasure and where am I keeping it?” Every earthly treasure we have is susceptible to obliteration, so why focus on it?

“LORD, help us to keep our treasures in You and eternity today.”