When Samuel was tasked to appoint a new king after God had rejected Saul as king over Israel (1Sa 15:28), he looked on Eliab’s appearance and stature and thought that he must surely be the chosen one, but God told Samuel that “the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1Sa 16:7). In Chinese, we have a have a similar saying, “知人知面不知心”, meaning that we may know a man's exterior but not his heart. Even though we may not be able to look into a man, but we can know his heart by its treasure and vice versa.
Our treasures affect our hearts The things we treasure (value) drives our hearts (desires) (Mat 6:19-21). If we value earthly things, then we will desire earthly pursuits. For example, those who appreciate and value art pieces will see them as a worthwhile investment, while the uninitiated will see them as an extravagant waste of money. In the same way, if we value spiritual things, then we will desire spiritual pursuits. So, if we claim to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mat 6:33), then we should display a keen interest in attending Bible classes and church activities.
However, many times our short-sightedness in seeking for immediate gratification leads us to desire the physical more than the spiritual, despite knowing that earthly treasures are inferior to heavenly treasures. Earthly possessions like clothing can be destroyed by moths, coins can rust, and houses can be broken into (Mat 6:19), but our inheritance in heaven is “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away” (1Pe 1:4). So, in order for our hearts and desires to be in the right place, we ought to be far-sighted (Heb 11:13-16) and first set our treasures and priorities in the right place (Mat 6:21).
Our hearts affect our treasures Just as our treasures affect our hearts, our hearts affect our treasures too, though in another sense. The things in our hearts (thoughts) are demonstrated by our treasures (actions and words) (Luk 6:4546). Jesus gives the example of how good trees cannot bear bad fruits and vice versa – thorns cannot bear figs, neither can bramble bushes bear grapes (Luk 6:43-44). In the same way, if we claim to be righteous, then we should do what is right (1Jo 3:7) and say what is wholesome (Pro 15:4).
However, many times our lack of self-control cause us to say things that we later regret. The difficulty of controlling our tongues is discussed by James (Jas 3:8), and he states that if one can control the tongue perfectly, he will be able to control his whole body and be perfect (Jas 3:2). Yet, this does not mean that we should stop trying, because our words are treasures with the potential to do immense good (Pro 25:11-12) or cause great destruction (Jas 3:6). So, in order for the treasures of our actions and words to be good, we ought to fill our hearts and thoughts with positive things (Php 4:8), realizing that all sinful deeds and words originate from within (Mat 15:18-19).
It is estimated that the average cost of a heart transplant, including the need for immunosuppressant drugs after the surgery, is USD $864,700. However, the best heart transplant we can receive is freely given by God (Psa 51:10) and it is done through keeping the word of God in our hearts (Psa 119:11) and doing it (Eze 36:26-27). Brethren, let us heed the words of the wise man to “keep [our] heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Pro 4:23).