Many people pursue the acquisition of goods and money with such obsession that it ends up becoming the priority, the essence of their lives.
And by acting this way, they end up looking like true "bottomless pits" of ambition and greed, never satisfied with what they already have, even if it is more than enough to live a life of luxury and extend it to several generations of their own family.
Often, the desire for such things leads them to acquire them even through illicit means, such as fraud and corruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDo not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.;
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.<\/p>\n(Matthew 6:19-21 \u2013 ACF)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nThis does not mean that possessing goods is, in itself, a bad thing: everything acquired honestly and through effort is deserved. However, there is something\u2014consistent in Jesus' well-known "Sermon on the Mount"\u2014to be highlighted in this passage: the statement that where someone's treasure is (that is, what the person considers most important in their life), there also is their heart.
This connects directly to another biblical passage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nFor the love of money is the root of all evil;
And in their greed, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.<\/p>\n(1\u02e2\u1d57 Timothy 6:10 \u2013 ACF)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nMoney itself, as it turns out, is not the problem.
The problem is LOVING money!
The love of money generates unhappiness in the heart of the one who possesses it (because they are never satisfied), and brings harm to those around them.,
And we can clearly see this in the acts of corruption committed by various unscrupulous politicians and the harmful consequences they bring to millions of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAs Jesus said, if earthly possessions are what a person sets their heart on, they are building their existence on something very fragile, and even harmful.
The fragility of earthly possessions is made quite clear in the same passage from the Sermon on the Mount: "Moths and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal.".
In Jesus' time, many of the "treasures" in Israel consisted of fine and valuable fabrics, which were generally acquired because they were easy to store and transport, but were subject to deterioration and moth infestation if not properly protected (which was difficult to do because, for example, plastic materials did not yet exist).
Similarly, metal utensils \u2014 particularly silver, a material subject to oxidation \u2014 whose value was ultimately affected in future transactions.
Therefore, it makes perfect sense for Jesus to speak of moths and rust, in addition, obviously, to the risk of theft, which has existed ever since the world was affected by human sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThus, both today and back then, money and earthly possessions, however coveted, are no guarantee of absolutely anything.
They may provide joy and satisfaction for a time, but they do not fulfill the need for meaning in human existence and, moreover, they cannot solve the greatest problem of all: the end of earthly life.
It doesn't take much thought or deep speculation to realize that money doesn't prevent death, and that nothing we possess, in material terms, will be taken with us after this life\u2026 this is also recorded in verse 7 of the same text by the apostle Paul previously cited: \u201cwe brought nothing into the world, and it is evident that we will take nothing out of it.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo, what are the \u201ctreasures of heaven\u201d\u2014which cannot be destroyed or stolen\u2014to which the Lord Jesus refers?
As with almost everything, celestial criteria are very different from earthly ones: the treasures of heaven cannot be manipulated or even touched, as they are on a far higher plane than the ephemeral treasures of Earth.
Jesus himself, also in the Sermon on the Mount, speaks about some of these treasures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nYou are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.<\/p>\n(Matthew 5:14-16 \u2013 ACF)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n