Treasured Talk

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:21

This is a well known verse spoken by Jesus at His great sermon on the mount. It lies amidst a challenge to make an impact for the Kingdom of God as we “store up our treasures in Heaven,” not solely looking for material wealth, and the convicting truth that no one can serve two masters – “you can not serve God and money.”

This verse simply reminds us that the things we care about the most – whether material, personal, relational, or spiritual in nature – will undoubtedly have our attention and our efforts to preserve.

There are quite a few instances in the Gospels where Jesus associates what we treasure with our heart. Luke 6:45 is another well-known verse that exemplifies this association. Like the passage above, Jesus begins a narrative here with “the beatitudes” or blessings. Perhaps both are from the same speech simply highlighting different parts of the teaching, or perhaps Jesus repeated the blessings as a reminder to what He had already taught and decided to expand and clarify some important thoughts on another occasion.

One thing is certain: Since Jesus spoke them, we can view these two verses together. When I look at these two in light of each other, I realize that not only do the words that I say and tone that I use reflect what is prominent in my heart, but it reveals what I treasure most…

As men who are called to serve and lead our families, and as men who accept responsibility to care for those around us through hard-work, sacrifice, and service, do our words and tone in our daily talk “store up treasure in Heaven”?

Do I speak encouraging and life giving messages to friends and family leaving them feeling treasured, or do I merely reveal that I treasure my own desires and ambitions over theirs?

Scientific research has shown that women and men communicate and receive communication differently. Any married couple reading this will say, “Duh!” As men we tend to be more pragmatic and analytical, stating the facts or listening for them, paying less attention to the minutiae, body language, and emotional cues of others. Women however, tend to be more evocative and relational as they share and listen, picking up on the more subtle details of a story, body language cues, and connecting emotionally.

That is not to say men are never emotional and women aren’t capable of brief conversations or offering practical advice. We are simply different in our styles of communication. How much more rich and full can our conversations be when both styles are present and appreciated?

The challenge then for an Everyday Chivalry man is to make sure that what is being said, tone and body language included, conveys the value that we have for the person we are listening and speaking to… especially our wife and children.

Do my children see and hear how much I treasure my wife?

Am I speaking and giving attention in ways that honor her?

Have I earned respect by giving it, or demanded it while degrading others?

Is there genuine care and grace in my heart, or selfish ambition and pride?

Do I intimidate through fear or coach my children through discipline and understanding?

Do they receive my full attention when I come through the door, or do I treasure a moment of rest more than a moment of relationship?

How I speak and what I say reveal what I treasure most. It is my responsibility to store up treasures in Heaven by stewarding the treasures that God has blessed me with now. They are His treasures anyway. My time, money, and family should all be tended with careful consideration, given the chance to multiply and grow – and should glorify God.

What we do in life echoes in eternity.

Maximus Decimus Meridias – Gladiator

God’s word makes it clear that everything we say and do has an eternal consequence; none more important than accepting Jesus’s sacrifice and resurrection as full payment of sin.

Only then can we treasure what the Father treasures.

Lord, may everything I say and do bring glory and honor to You, amen.