Why did Jesus tell us, "Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven"? Is there something of eternal value at stake in how we live our lives?

Investing in Eternity examines the Bible's conditional promises of blessing and concludes that the doctrine of rewards is one of the most important teachings of the Bible. Faithfulness to God will be rewarded - forever. There is literally no limit to the blessing God will bestow upon those (and only those) who love and serve Him in this life. So, the stakes are infinitely high for every follower of Christ. We have this life, and this life alone, in which to earn God's reward.