²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

^{Matthew 6:21 NRSV}

I believe that, in addition to warning us that if we treasure worthless, temporary, selfish things we will reap the rewards of such, Jesus offers a way to see into souls for assurance sake and course correction. If you want to know where you are in your relationship with Jesus, reflect on your heart’s treasure, your mind’s desires, and your life’s actions. A life treasuring the kingdom of heaven will have at its core devotion to God, sacrifice and servant spirit toward others, and desire for the common good not simply personal good. In contrast, a desire for ease, convenience, control, recognition and respect are signs pointing away from the kingdom of heaven and toward the kingdom of me. In the end, a kingdom based on me will be sorely disappointing for it cannot save me from sin or give me true hope for the future.