What is your most treasured possession?
People often treasure the stuff that contains no eternal value and ignore what matters most.
Last Sunday our congregation sang the old hymn, "On Jordan's Stormy Banks." The hymn was written by Samuel Stennett. The chorus is "I am bound for the promised land, I am bound for the promised land. O who will come and go with me? I am bound for the promised land." This hymn, (which has been stuck in my head all week) is focused on eternity.
It is easy to get caught up in what distracts from eternity. The nation of Israel was heading for the land of promise but they were often distracted, discouraged and depressed by the daily grind of wilderness living. The people of Israel struggled because they allowed their doubt and despair to distract them from the eternal God and His promises.
It takes discipline and determination to live with an eternal outlook in the daily struggles of life. Those who are bound for the promised land must be disciplined and live with determination but discipline and determination are not enough, there must also be heart transformation.
In the Bible in Matthew chapter 6 verses 19-24, Jesus teaches about treasure. He challenges those who are following Him to stop storing up treasure on earth. Earthly treasures do not last. Jim Elliot said “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
If we are not to store up treasures on earth what are we to do?
In his commentary on Matthew 6, John MacArthur writes, “Human beings are naturally-thing oriented. We are strongly inclined to be wrapped up in seeking, acquiring, enjoying and protecting material possessions.”
Instead of seeking, acquiring, enjoying and protecting our material possession for self-exalting reasons, what if we learned how to share. What if we learned how to seek, acquire and enjoy what God has given us by sharing them with others in such a way that it glorifies God and points people to Jesus?
Doing good does no eternal good if we spoil it with self-exalting motives.
Where is your heart? Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 that your heart is where your treasure is. I am kind of an expert now on gold mining. I have watched a lot of episodes about gold mining on television. Just kidding of course, I am no expert but I have learned that gold mining companies have to sift through thousands and thousands of yards of ground to find a few ounces of gold.
In our men’s Bible study this week, we studied about all the gold King Solomon acquired and used to build the temple (2 Chronicles 3:1-7) . One of our men in the Bible study asked how the people in Bible times mined for gold. From the research I did, (which involved goggling how people mined for gold in ancient time) they mined for gold much the same way people mine today except they had to do it all by hand and it was much, much slower but they still went through all sorts of trouble to find, process and store up this golden treasure.
Hours and hours of digging, breaking rocks, washing rocks, sifting out all the worthless ground to find gold because it was a treasure for them.
Your heart treasure is easily measured by what you spend your time mining for.
What if we spent 10% of our 24 hour days seeking to know and serve God by Scripture reading, prayer, deep church involvement, developing relationships that point people to Jesus and helping people in need in such a way that it glorifies God and points people to Jesus?
Ten percent of 24 is 2.4 hours a day. If you want to subtract the hours we spend sleeping then it would be closer to 1.6 hours a day. What if you started dedicating an 1.5 hours a day to the Lord? What would change in your life and the life of your family, friends and co-workers?
When we spend time with God, He becomes our treasure. God transforms our hearts through relationship and faith-driven discipline and determination.
God transforms the heart and gives us the light to see this world for what it is.
Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:22-23 that the eyes is the lamp of the body. When a person treasures God above all else they will be a healthy person with light to share in this world of darkness. But when a person treasures the things of this world they do not want to see the world for what it is and their whole life is full of darkness.
How tragic it is to live in great darkness!
In Matthew 6:24, Jesus teaches that people cannot serve two masters. If God is not your treasure it is because your devotion is with something or someone else.
I encourage you to believe and receive the Word of God (Proverbs 2:1).
As you read God’s Word, seek to know Him, love Him and treasure Him with the same devotion and passion people seek after earthy treasures and worldly pleasures (Proverbs 2:4).
In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul encourages believers to set their hope on God not on the uncertainty of riches. In verse 18 he encourages believers to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.
When believers treasure God, set their hopes on Jesus, strive to be rich in good works, generous and ready to share they will be storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future and taking hold of that which is truly life (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Where are you laying up your treasure? Where are you investing your time and what does that tell you about your heart condition?
Is your eyes full of the light of the resurrection hope of Jesus Christ or is it full of great darkness?
Are you serving God or are you serving money?
Lord Jesus, please help us to set all of our hope on You. Help us to spend our lives in the pursuit of heavenly treasure, filling our hearts with worship, service and generosity. Lord please fill our eyes with Your glorious light and empower us to serve You daily with pure devotion and dedication. In Jesus name. Amen.
Pastor TJ
