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Faith by Debbie Wallis
“Do not store up treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will always be where your treasure is,” Matthew 6:19-21. There once was a wealthy humanitarian who gave away millions of dollars to Christian organizations. During the depression he lost all of his wealth. A reporter asked him if he regretted giving so much of his money away. He answered, "Whatever I gave away to God I still possess for eternity." That’s the way giving to the Lord works, we give but we never lose - we only gain. Don’t just go through life trying to reach the next promotion so you can make more money. I often wonder what Jesus might say regarding the American Dream. Don’t get me wrong, we are blessed to be a blessing. There is nothing wrong with a better neighborhood, big home and money in the bank. If that’s you, you are living a blessed life to be a blessing to others. “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you," Luke 6:38. We store treasure in heaven by being the hands and feet of Jesus; by doing deeds of mercy and
Monday, October 5, 2015 kindness which are motivated by the love of Jesus. Jesus loves people…all people. “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart is also” Luke 12:33-34. We store up treasure in heaven by seeking the kingdom of God and aiming to be more like Jesus through helping others, which demonstrates the greatest of all commands. God looks at the heart and motive for what we do. Outward appearances mean little without a heart that meshes with the heart of God. You don’t need to be homeless and broke…it’s the priority of money that God is watching. “A man came up to Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ Jesus answered, ‘Why do you ask Me about what is good? Only God is good. Keep the commandments.’ ‘Which ones?’ the man asked. And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and the greater one, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to Him, ‘I have kept all these. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow Me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. Jesus said to His disciples, ‘I say to you, it’s very difficult for a rich person to get into heaven. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly surprised and asked, ‘Then how can anyone be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,’’ Matthew 19:16-26. There is nothing wrong with money; it’s the greed of it that will destroy your relationship with Christ. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need,” Matthew 6:33. It’s a blessing to serve the Lord with your money. Jesus asking the young man to sell everything and give it to the poor was for him to examine his own heart. This man’s treasure was his money. You can regain money; no one can buy one more second
of time. How you spend your 24 hours can never be regained. If Jesus was asking you to give everything away and follow Him…could you? That’s what He meant by it’s difficult for the rich to get into heaven. You cannot serve money, money should serve you and you serve Jesus with it. The amount of money you have will not matter when it comes to getting into heaven. Jesus said that it is “very difficult for a rich person to get into heaven.” That’s because money can easily become a priority in our life and can become a god to us. The key is to always remember whom we’re serving: we can’t serve two masters. A rich person can get into heaven if his priorities are straight and a poor person isn’t guaranteed a spot in heaven simply because of his economic status. The lack of money can become an opposition as well. Whether we’re rich or poor, we have to realize that everything else is secondary when it comes to following Jesus. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth,
Page #8 and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” John 14:16. There is only one way to heaven. When Jesus is our treasure we will commit our resources; our money, our time, and our talents to His work on this earth. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving,” Colossians 3:23–24. When we live sacrificially for Jesus’ and serve Him by serving the body of Christ, we store up treasure in heaven. Even seemingly small acts of service do not go unnoticed by God. “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of the least of these who is My disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward,” Matthew 10:42. I’m encouraging you to search your heart to see where your treasure is. If you do not have a Bible please contact me at sfadebbie@yahoo.com and I will provide you one.
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