It's a quiet Sunday afternoon when you catch yourself scrolling through social media again.
Another dream vacation.
Another beautiful home. Another "must-have" product.
And suddenly you realize: you've spent more time thinking about these things than you have about your relationship with God this week.
No judgment. We've all been there.
Our culture bombards us with messages about what we should want, what we should acquire, what we should treasure. And before we know it, our hearts have followed.
Money conversations in Christian circles often focus on budgeting techniques, debt reduction, or giving formulas. These are valuable, but they miss something deeper—the profound connection between what we value and who we become.
My own perspective transformed when I stopped trying to manage my finances with willpower alone...
And began visualizing the invisible threads connecting my resources to my heart, just as Jesus taught.
If you're ready to discover a different way of seeing your relationship with money—
I'd like to share a single verse that might change everything.
📖 SCRIPTURE (Warm-Up)
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
— Matthew 6:21 (NIV)
Take a breath.
Hold these words gently.
Let them settle into the spaces between your thoughts.
Treasure... heart... location.
Just seven words. Yet they map the geography of our souls.
This isn't a complex financial strategy. Not a mathematical formula. Not even primarily about money.
It's a spiritual law as reliable as gravity.
The profoundly simple truth in this verse reveals something crucial:
Your heart follows your treasure, not the other way around.
Many of us think: "Once my heart is in the right place, I'll use my money differently."
But Jesus reverses this. He says where we place our treasure—our resources, time, attention—that's where our heart naturally gravitates.
It's not just about what we spend the most money on. It's about what we invest ourselves in. What we protect. What we think about when our mind wanders.
That's where our heart is being pulled, whether we realize it or not.
When we approach financial wellness with this verse, everything shifts.
We stop trying to change our feelings first.
We start redirecting our treasure, knowing our heart will follow.
So before you download another budgeting app, pause here:
One verse.
One profound truth.
One radical principle: your treasure determines your heart's direction.
ENGAGE (Strength Training)
Now let's move beyond reading to seeing this truth more clearly.
When we engage visually with Scripture, especially around topics like money, new pathways of understanding open up.
Let's explore three ways to interact with Matthew 6:21 that go beyond just reading words:
1. Map Your Treasure-Heart Connections
What would it look like to create a visual map of where your treasure currently goes?
Take a sheet of paper and draw a simple heart in the center. This represents you—your values, attention, affection, and spiritual focus.
Now, around this heart, write down the places where you invest significant:
- Financial resources
- Time and energy
- Mental attention
- Emotional investment
Draw lines connecting these "treasures" to your heart. Make the lines thicker for stronger connections.
Now sit with this map. What surprises you? Where are the thickest lines pointing? Are they aligned with what you value most deeply?
This isn't about shame—it's about awareness.
Our treasure flows naturally toward what we value, often unconsciously.
2. Visualize the Movement
Jesus doesn't just state that our heart and treasure are connected—He describes a direction.
Our heart follows our treasure.
Picture this movement in your mind:
- If you place your treasure in career advancement, your heart is being pulled in that direction
- If you place your treasure in material possessions, your heart is being tugged there
- If you place your treasure in God's kingdom, your heart is being drawn toward heavenly values
Try this simple exercise: Close your eyes and visualize a golden thread connecting your resources to different priorities in your life. Now imagine gently redirecting some of those threads toward eternal values. What shifts in your heart as you imagine this?
This visualization helps us understand the spiritual physics Jesus describes—the invisible but real gravity our treasure exerts on our heart.
3. Create a Treasure Inventory
Rather than just listing where your money goes, create a visual inventory that reveals what you truly treasure.
Draw four overlapping circles labeled:
- What I spend most money on
- What I think about most often
- What I protect most fiercely
- What I talk about most excitedly
In the areas where circles overlap, you'll discover your true treasures—the things that have captured not just your wallet but your heart.
Add symbols or small sketches next to these items. Visual associations strengthen our understanding of abstract principles like this.
This inventory isn't about judgment but clarity. It helps us see whether our treasure—and therefore our heart—is aligned with what we truly value.
🌿 EXPERIENCE (Cool Down)
Now comes the moment where this verse steps out of the page and into your life.
Understanding the treasure-heart connection is just the beginning. Experiencing transformation requires reflection and response.
1. Notice Where Your Heart Has Followed
Jesus' insight offers a practical diagnostic tool for spiritual growth. Instead of wondering about the condition of your heart, look at where your treasure is going.
Reflect on these questions:
- 🟡 What unexpected "treasure trails" did you discover in your mapping exercise?
- 🟡 Think about what you've spent money on recently. How has your heart followed?
- 🟡 Where do you find your thoughts automatically drifting throughout the day?
The beautiful thing about Jesus' teaching is that it works in both directions. By observing where your heart frequently goes, you can identify what you truly treasure—even if it's not what you would consciously choose.
This awareness is a gift, not a burden. It's the beginning of intentional redirection.
2. Redirect One Treasure Stream
The power of Matthew 6:21 is that it gives us a practical path to heart change.
If you want your heart to be more focused on God's kingdom, start by redirecting your treasure there.
Your heart will follow this new path.
Consider one small but meaningful adjustment:
📌 What's one way you could redirect a portion of your "treasure" this week?
This might look like:
- Setting a timer for five minutes of stillness with God before checking financial accounts
- Dedicating the first portion of your morning attention (a form of treasure) to Scripture rather than news or social media
- Creating a special fund for spontaneous generosity
- Scheduling time to serve others that you might normally spend shopping or browsing online
Remember, Jesus isn't asking for dramatic overhauls. He's revealing how our hearts work. Even small redirections of treasure create new pathways for our hearts to follow.
3. Journal Your Treasure-Heart Journey
In your journal or through prayer, complete this reflection:
"Lord, I've been placing my treasure in __________, and I notice my heart has followed by __________. This week, I'm going to redirect some treasure toward __________ and watch for how my heart begins to follow."
Over time, return to this journal entry. Notice the subtle shifts in your affections and attention as your treasure finds new directions.
This isn't about perfection—it's about intentional redirection based on the spiritual principle Jesus revealed.
THIS IS SOUL-LEVEL FINANCIAL WELLNESS
What you've just experienced goes deeper than typical financial advice.
You didn't need complex investment strategies.
You didn't need another lecture about materialistic culture.
You didn't need detailed budgeting categories.
You simply needed wisdom from Jesus about how your heart and resources are connected.
This is biblical financial wellness at its most transformative—addressing not just where your money goes, but where your heart follows.
It works whether you have abundance or scarcity, because treasure isn't just about quantity. It's about priority and attention.
If you've been frustrated by financial teaching that doesn't seem to change anything...
If you've wondered why your heart doesn't automatically align with what you know matters...
Let this be your gentle revelation:
📖 Your heart follows your treasure—so place your treasure with intention.
🔄 Small redirections of resources create new pathways for your affections.
🔧 Where you invest yourself shapes who you become.