Link Ecc 5:16 & Matt 6:19-21 on wealth.
Connect Ecclesiastes 5:16 with Matthew 6:19-21 on storing treasures in heaven.

Facing the Reality of What We Can’t Keep

Ecclesiastes 5:16: “As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again naked as he came; he takes nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hands.”

• Life’s ledger is brutally honest: every earthly possession is a temporary loan.

1 Timothy 6:7 echoes the same truth: “For we brought nothing into the world, and neither can we carry anything out of it.”

• The Teacher’s point is not anti-work; it is anti-illusion. We may enjoy God’s gifts (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19), but we cannot cling to them.


Jesus’ Call to Invest in What Lasts

Matthew 6:19-21:

– v. 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”

– v. 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

– v. 21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

• Christ identifies the same fragility Ecclesiastes exposes, then supplies the antidote: relocate treasure to heaven.

Luke 12:33-34 reinforces Jesus’ strategy: “Provide yourselves purses that will not wear out…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”


How the Two Passages Interlock

1. Shared diagnosis

– Ecclesiastes: Earth cannot hold your wealth.

– Jesus: Earthly vaults are unreliable.

2. Distinct prescriptions

– Ecclesiastes: Enjoy but know it’s fleeting.

– Jesus: Transfer assets to an indestructible realm.

3. Unified outcome

– A wise life recognizes the expiration date of material goods and redirects affection toward the eternal God.


Practical Ways to Send Treasure Ahead

• Generous giving

1 Timothy 6:18-19: “Be rich in good deeds…lay up treasure for the coming age.”

• Serving with your talents

Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…you will receive the inheritance from the Lord.”

• Investing time in people

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 calls fellow believers “our glory and joy” at Christ’s coming. Souls outlast stuff.

• Cultivating Christlike character

Galatians 5:22-23: the fruit of the Spirit is never taxed, stolen, or burned.


Heart Check: Following Our Investments

• Treasure and heart travel together (Matthew 6:21).

• Track where money, energy, and attention flow; they form a map to what we worship.

• When the ledger tilts heavenward, affection follows—guarding us from the emptiness Ecclesiastes laments.


Encouragement for Today

• The Teacher warns, Jesus directs, and we respond.

• Every choice to loosen earthly grip and tighten heavenly hold writes a line in eternity’s balance sheet.

• Live today like someone who already knows the final audit: “Naked we depart, but rich we can arrive.”

How can Ecclesiastes 5:16 guide our perspective on accumulating possessions?
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