The saying “where your treasure is there will your heart be also” originates from a teaching of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34. In context, Jesus was warning his followers about the dangers of pursuing earthly treasures and riches, teaching that their hearts and minds would follow whatever they valued most.
The key to understanding this phrase is recognizing that the “treasure” Jesus refers to is not necessarily money or wealth. The treasure can be anything someone esteems highly and sets as their priority in life. It represents what they consider most valuable and important. It is the object of their deepest affection and desires.
Jesus uses the term “heart” to represent the core of someone’s being – their inner person, including their thoughts, emotions, passions, will, and character. One’s heart is the central driver of their outward attitudes, speech, and actions. As the common saying goes, “the heart wants what the heart wants.”
Putting this all together, Jesus is teaching that what occupies and rules our hearts will determine our life direction. Our time, energy, and resources naturally flow toward whatever we hold dear. Just as in the physical world we instinctively protect our most valued possessions, in the spiritual realm our hearts remain loyal to our greatest treasure.
Consider someone who values money and material wealth above all else. Their thinking and efforts revolve around acquiring more. The state of their finances dominates their moods and conversations. They make daily choices favoring profit over people or ethics. Over time, the heart becomes so attached and devoted to money that it becomes difficult to break free from greed, consumerism, or corruption.
This principle works both ways. When we elevate noble treasures like faith, compassion, wisdom, or righteousness, our hearts transform to embrace these virtues. Seeking the kingdom of God reshapes the inner person toward justice, generosity, truth, and love of God and neighbor. Jesus promises that fixing our eyes on eternal treasure bears fruit in how we live our daily lives on earth.
In summary, Jesus’ maxim “where your treasure is there will your heart be also” teaches that our priorities determine our destiny. The things we chase and collect in life will eventually define us. Our passions and investments capture our hearts to mold our character. If earthly wealth and comfort rule us, we become self-serving misers. If the riches of the spirit guide us, we become servants who live to bless others. What we fill our hands with now charts the course for where our hearts will be both today and for eternity.
1. Earthly treasure leads to a divided heart
One of Jesus’ main warnings in this teaching is that an obsession with material possessions and wealth will divide and darken our hearts. When earthly treasure becomes our priority, our focus gets splintered between treasuring God and treasuring riches. This divided allegiance breeds anxiety, dissatisfaction, and emptiness.
Jesus makes this clear in his statement that “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). If our supreme treasure is anything other than complete devotion to God, our hearts will remain conflicted and unable to find rest.
The temptation to make an idol out of material wealth is great because money promises comfort, security, status, and power. However, Scripture repeatedly warns that those who strive after riches often sacrifice their integrity and harm relationships in the process (see Proverbs 28:20, 1 Timothy 6:9-10). The endless pursuit of more, more, more leaves little time or energy left to pursue spiritual growth, community service, or loving others well.
Ultimately, an upward climb on the corporate ladder or bigger home remodeling project cannot satisfy our deepest needs. As Jesus said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). When earthly treasure eclipses the eternal, our hearts pay a high price both now and forever.
2. Heavenly treasure aligns our hearts with God
In contrast to the divided heart brought by earthly treasure, Jesus calls his followers to store up a different kind of riches. Rather than wealth, prestige, comfort, or entertainment, he elevates virtues like truth, wisdom, righteousness, and love as the most worthy treasures to pursue. Things that hold eternal, spiritual value are the investments that unlock meaning, purpose, and abundant life.
Jesus makes clear that dedicating our lives to heavenly treasures like these leads to an undivided heart devoted fully to God. He states, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light” (Matthew 6:22). A “healthy eye” represents a heart fixed on the kingdom of God rather than the fleeting kingdoms of this world.
The apostle Paul echoes this, urging believers to “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). Pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and the gifts of God’s Spirit align our hearts with God’s heart. As we come to treasure what He treasures, our thoughts, words, and actions reflect His light more and more.
This promise of wholehearted alignment with God makes heavenly treasure infinitely more valuable than anything this world can offer. While earthly wealth eventually fades, spiritual riches in Christ remain secure for eternity. As Jesus told his disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
3. Our heart follows whatever captures our attention
Jesus’ teaching highlights a common human experience: our hearts follow what we give our attention and focus. The mind instinctively ruminates on whatever we find most interesting or pleasurable. Our thoughts regularly drift toward fantasies about our favorite activities or possessions.
Therefore, one practical way to discern our true treasure is to honestly evaluate where our mind wanders in idle moments. We naturally move toward what has greatest hold on our affections. Jesus says our careless thoughts reveal much about our heart’s orientation: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).
This explains why Scripture urges us to carefully guard our minds and thoughts. The apostle Paul instructs, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Dwelling on what is good attracts our hearts toward the Giver of all good gifts.
In contrast, fixating on earthly desires like lust, greed, envy, or anger crowds out focus on the kingdom of God. Over time, these thoughts take root to choke out the spiritual life within us. As Jesus said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him” (Mark 7:20). Outward deeds trace their origin back to whatever captured our inner thought life.
4. Our words reveal our heart’s true affections
If our thought life serves as one window into the heart’s orientation, our spoken words provide an even clearer picture. Jesus emphasized this when he said “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” The content of our conversations soon exposes where our treasure most resides.
Those focused on earthly treasure tend to obsess over material gain, revel in gossip, and speak words inflaming discord. As James 3:14-16 describes, “If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
In contrast, those cherishing heavenly wisdom speak words reflecting patience, kindness, hope, truth, and love. Their speech builds others up rather than tears down. They avoid idle quarreling to pursue unity and encourage those in need. As Proverbs 10:20-21 promises, “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many.”
Therefore, listening to ourselves reveals much. If we regularly hear complaints, lies, or boasting, we suffer from an earthly heart. But if our words exude joy, gratitude, and encouragement, our heart has been transformed by the treasure of Christ within. As Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
5. Our actions reveal what we truly value
While our thought patterns and speech expose inner motives, outward actions provide the clearest view into our ruling treasure. Jesus emphasized this in his Sermon on the Mount when he said, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16). Our deeds inevitably align with whatever our heart clings to.
Those enamored by earthly treasure devote their labors toward selfish ambition. They take advantage of relationships to grasp more wealth and influence. They exploit employees for maximum personal profit. They keep generous giving low on their priority list. Their lives orbit around gaining comforts and accolades to gratify self.
In contrast, those treasuring heavenly riches set their hearts toward serving others. They humbly leverage influence to lift up the marginalized and oppressed. They generously invest time, money, and attention to expand God’s work on earth. They align daily choices around deepening their faith, pursuing justice, and walking in love. Their lives orbit around joining God’s mission of redemption.
As Jesus warned in his parable of the sower, the “cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word” within us (Matthew 13:22). If money and possessions dominate our thinking, their thorns restrict our capacity to live out our faith. But when we cast earthly treasure aside to embrace heavenly riches, our actions naturally bear good fruit that endures.
James 2:14-17 reminds us, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” True treasure always manifests in a life poured out in service to others.
6. Our calendar and finances reveal our priorities
Two practical tools that provide clear snapshots of our ruling treasure are our schedules and bank statements. These concrete records chronicle where we devote our precious time and money week after week. They tally what activities we invest in and what possessions we spend to acquire.
Those enraptured with earthly treasure clutter their calendar with status-seeking events, luxurious getaways, and the pursuit of hobbies and entertainment. Their spending highlights amenities promising self-indulgence. Appearances, comforts, and experiences that gratify ego dominate both time and budget.
In contrast, those valuing heavenly treasure pursue learning, service, and relationships that nurture the heart and soul. Their calendar includes worship, hospitality, acts of kindness, and community development. Their spending empowers generosity to others as a spiritual practice. Giving and serving at personal cost becomes a joy rather than a burden.
Regularly auditing where our hours, energy, and dollars go provides an unbiased report card for who (or what) is winning our heart. We can ask ourselves: Is my schedule ruled by upward mobility or making disciples? Do my spending habits strive after status or sharing with those in need? Do I labor to build up my own kingdom or God’s kingdom?
The way we manage time and money reveals much about hope. As Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Our calendar and bank accounts usually do not lie about our ruling passions.
7. Our heart’s orientation shapes our eternal destination
Why does our central treasure matter so much? Jesus makes it clear that the trajectory of our heart shapes our eternal destination. Either we devote ourselves to the passing treasures of this fallen age, or we store up lasting riches in heaven. In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus urges:
“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.”
The treasures we choose become a compass guiding the direction our heart moves. If earthly wealth directs us, our heart grows cold, anxious, and isolated. But if heavenly treasure guides us, our heart moves toward hope, purpose, and intimacy with God.
Paul reminds believers that rather than fixing our eyes on seen, temporal things, we are to focus on the unseen, eternal riches awaiting us. He writes in Colossians 3:1-4:
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Living in light of the treasure laid up for us in Christ transforms how we view both this world and the next. Each act of service and sacrifice bears eternal weight and significance. We can have confidence that nothing done for God’s kingdom will ever be forgotten or wasted (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Jesus’ maxim “where your treasure is there will your heart be also” serves as a continual checkpoint. We must keep inspecting our hearts to see who or what has captured our devotion. The treasure guiding our heart today serves as a compass pointing toward our final destination. Thankfully, it is never too late to turn our eyes upon Jesus, the greatest treasure of all.