We all have a way of deciding what matters most.
Sometimes our priorities are revealed by what we say. More often, they are revealed by what receives our time, our attention, our resources, and our best.
A farmer once learned this lesson in an amusing—and somewhat uncomfortable—way.
One day, he joyfully told his wife that their prized cow had given birth to twin calves, one red and one white. He had decided to dedicate one of the calves to the Lord.
“We’ll raise them together,” he explained. “When the time comes to sell them, we’ll keep the proceeds from one and give the proceeds from the other to the Lord’s work.”
His wife asked which calf would be the Lord’s.
“There’s no need to decide now,” he replied. “We’ll treat them both the same and decide when the time comes.”
Several months later, the farmer walked into the kitchen looking dejected.
“I have bad news,” he said. “The Lord’s calf is dead.”
His wife looked puzzled. “But you never decided which one would be the Lord’s calf.”
“Oh, yes, I did,” he answered. “I decided it would be the white one—and the white calf is dead.”
It is easy to laugh at the farmer’s reasoning, but perhaps there is a little of him in all of us. How often do we intend to give God something later, only to discover that “later” has quietly become “never”?
The Lord’s portion can easily become whatever is left after everything else has been taken care of.
But God deserves more than our leftovers.
Where Your Treasure Is
The word treasure carries the idea of something precious—something we place before other things because we consider it more valuable. What we treasure naturally moves toward the front of our lives.
Jesus put it simply: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, ESV).
Our treasure isn’t limited to what sits in a bank account. We treasure with our calendars, our conversations, our energy, our abilities, and our attention. What consistently receives the best of us often reveals what has captured our hearts.
Paul understood this kind of surrender.
Looking back at everything he had once considered valuable, he wrote:
“Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
—Philippians 3:7–8, ESV
Paul had discovered a treasure that made everything else seem small by comparison.
Knowing Jesus was worth more.
Investing in What Lasts
Everything around us is temporary.
Possessions wear out. Money changes hands. Opportunities come and go. The things we spend so much energy accumulating eventually lose their shine—or are left behind altogether.
But what we place in God’s hands is never wasted.
Because of the cross, our relationship with the temporary things of this world has changed. As Paul wrote, “the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14, ESV).
We can enjoy God’s blessings without allowing them to become our treasure. We can hold what He gives us with open hands, remembering that everything we have ultimately belongs to Him.
And when we invest our time, resources, gifts, and influence in God’s kingdom, we are investing in something that will outlast us.
Peter describes our inheritance in Christ as “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4, ESV).
What a beautiful promise.
The world tells us to hold tightly to what we have because we might lose it. Jesus invites us to release what is temporary and embrace what is eternal.
Jim Elliot captured this truth beautifully: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Perhaps the question isn’t whether we will treasure something. Our hearts were made to treasure.
The deeper question is this:
What will we treasure most?
May we be women who recognize the fleeting nature of earthly treasures and joyfully invest in the things of God. May our best—not merely our leftovers—belong to Him.
Because one day, everything temporary will pass away.
But what we invest in eternity will remain.
TODAY’S MORE TO LIFE MOMENT
Take a quiet moment to look at your life through the lens of Matthew 6:21.
- What currently receives the best of your time, energy, attention, and resources?
- Are you giving God your first and best, or what remains after everything else has been handled?
- Is there something temporary you need to release so you can invest more deeply in God’s kingdom?
- What is one practical way you can invest in something eternal this week?
What we treasure shapes our hearts—and where we invest our treasure reveals what we value most.
Prayer
Lord, search my heart and show me what I truly treasure. Help me hold the temporary things of this life with open hands and value the eternal things of Your kingdom above everything else. Teach me to give You my first and best—not simply what remains. Let my time, resources, gifts, and attention become investments in things that will last forever. May my greatest treasure always be knowing You and making Your kingdom my priority. Amen.
