Tag Archives: treasures on earth

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS…TREASURES ON EARTH – 4a

Bible Study, ,

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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We have learned, so far, that God’s people are His treasure. He created us in His image. Humans are the only creatures on earth that resemble God, have fellowship with Him and are His partners in managing the earth and administering His kingdom on earth through prayer. 

The Father redeemed the human race from self-destruction through the Son. The Spirit lives in those who believe in Jesus to transforms us into the image and likeness of the Son. He leads us to know Jesus and to do the Father’s will on earth. 

God has also given us a treasure to guard and to guide us on our journey through life. Jesus came from the Father armed with grace and truth. Grace provides the strength to overcome the obstacles we face on our journey, and truth renews our minds to believe what God has said, not what the world says. 

The resources we need to live under a corrupt world system with honesty, integrity and by faith are part of the treasure God has provided for His children. He knows what we need. He gives us what we need and some to share with others so that we live together in a shared life of fellowship and caring. 

Since we are in training for the life to come, what we do with our treasure now is one of the greatest tests of stewardship, faithfulness, and obedience to Jesus we will ever face. How we fair in this test in our lives here before we relocate to eternity, will determine our role in God’s eternal

Kingdom.  

““Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There we have it! Our use of money, not our doctrine or even our faith in Jesus or our love for each other, will determine how and where we serve in the life to come. 

Jesus knew that the way we handle our money will always be the acid test…

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…capturing the hearts of even God’s own children. 

Money is not only the currency that drives the world and its systems. It is also the seat of demonic control where and when people have submitted to its power. Jesus used the word, “mammon” rather than “money”, to indicate that there is a demonic influence behind the greed that holds people captive. His own experience on earth was that of the spiritual leaders…and even one of His own disciples…controlled by avarice, the demonic power of money. 

Jesus had much to say about money, teaching and warning His disciples to beware of its power and to be faithful in its use. In Matthew 6, He taught two great principals to guide us in our attitude to and use of money. 

The first principle…your heart will follow your treasure. 

““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves I’ll follow do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭21‬, ‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If your treasure is hoarded in an earthly “treasury”, to be used exclusively for selfish purposes, your wealth is in danger of being corrupted or lost in the failure of worldly systems. 

If instead, you use at least part of your wealth to benefit and bless others, your worldly resources become a part of God’s heavenly treasury. You can make withdrawals by faith as needed when you participate in the life of God’s kingdom by sharing your resources on earth. 

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The problem with being preoccupied with money, collecting and hoarding it, or lacking it, because our trust is in money and not in our Father’s faithfulness to His promises, is the issue of worry. Worry cancels trust, worry enslaves, and worry changes our focus.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? …Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?…“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭25‬, ‭27‬, ‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When our focus is on money, not on the Father, our heart will be stuck in the wrong place and captured by the wrong preoccupation…

To be continued…

THE SAFEST BANK

Christian Life, ,

THE SAFEST BANK

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. Bot store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.

Jesus had a lot to say about money and possessions. He knew that money plays a very big part in our lives. He also knew that people find it very difficult to part with their money. We are naturally selfish and greedy. This is the nature we have inherited from Adam. Only Jesus can change our hearts. One of the evidences of a changed heart is our willingness to share with others.

What did He mean when He said we must store up treasure in heaven? When we share our money and possessions with people in need, we create a heavenly bank account into which we make deposits every time we give. When we are in need, we are free to ask the Lord for help because we have a bank account from which we can make withdrawals.

Now we are not speaking literally. There is no “Bank of Heaven” in the heavenly Jerusalem but what Jesus was saying was that when we share with others we create a current which keeps money circulating. We give to others in need so that the money will come back to us to meet our needs. If we hoard our money or spend it all, it will never become more.

Another way that the Bible talks about money is “sowing and reaping.” Our money is also a seed. When we plant a seed, we don’t only expect a plant to grow. We also expect it to produce more seeds so that we can plant again. How silly a farmer would be if he ate his seed instead of keeping some to sow again!

In the same way, God gives us seed to eat and seed to plant so that we will have a harvest next year. If we use all our money selfishly and never give any of it away, we will have no harvest next year. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you have to begin with, you can only reap more if you sow some.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

People who are greedy are said to have “an evil eye”. They never see beyond themselves. They are only concerned with their own needs. If your eye is “good”, Jesus said, your whole body will be full of light. You will be able to look beyond yourself and be generous to people in need.

It impossible to serve God and money. Money will either be your servant or your master. It cannot be both. If money is your servant, you will be free to tell is what to do. If money is your master, you will be a slave to money. It will tell you what to do. A person is only free when he can tell his money what to do. Eventually, Jesus said, you will serve the one you love the most.

When Jesus lives in us, and we learn to be givers, not takers, we will be set free from slavery to money. We will have a bank account in heaven which will always have something in it to draw from when we are in need if we continually make deposits to give to others who need our help.

“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.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

JESUS TEACHES US ABOUT MONEY

Christian life, ,

JESUS TEACHES US ABOUT MONEY

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 5:19-21.

Jesus had a lot to say about money because money rules our lives. Without money, we cannot live. We need money for everything we do – we buy food and clothing; we pay rent for our home, or we buy a property if we have enough money; we need money to pay school fees for our children, for fuel for our vehicles or for bus or train fares, and so on. Unless we are like the animals who live off the land, we all need money.

The problem is that we never seem to have enough. However much or little we have, we always need a little more. One of the reasons is that we have the wrong idea about money and the wrong attitude to our money and possessions. Jesus taught His disciples, and that’s us too if we truly want to follow Him, how to handle our money so that we will always have enough.

It may sound crazy, but Jesus said that the best way to have enough money is to give some of it away. Like anything we hoard, what we selfishly keep for ourselves will get stale, become rotten or get stolen. The best way to save our money is to put it in the bank of heaven. There it cannot get stolen. Jesus said it this way:

How can we store up treasure in heaven? There is no “Bank of Heaven” in town where we can deposit our money.

Money is the currency we work with on earth and faith is the currency of heaven. To protect what we own, which belongs to God because He gave it to us to use as He directs us, we have to become partners with God. Every time we help someone in need, we make a deposit in our heavenly “bank account”.  When we are in need and we ask God for help, He prompts someone who is listening to Him to give to us because we have a deposit in our account.

This is the way God has chosen to keep His resources circulating. He gives us the strength and skill to earn a salary, but He also tells us how we must use that money. If we use it all up on ourselves and do nothing to help another person in need, we have nothing to draw from when we need extra money. When we put a deposit on heaven by giving some of our money away, God will take care of us when a crisis arises, and we don’t have enough money to pay.

Jesus said that if we are selfish and greedy, we have a “dark” eye. That means that we are always looking after ourselves and care nothing for other people. If we are generous, we have an “eye of light”. That means that we can see beyond the end of our own noses. If we only live to make money so that we can become rich, we cannot serve God as well. We will serve what we love – either God or money, not both.

Disciples are to be like God the Father and Jesus, His Son – generous and kind to everyone.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

AN INFALLIBLE BANKING SYSTEM

Christian Life, ,

AN INFALLIBLE BANKING SYSTEM

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6: 19-21)

Being generous is a way of making deposits in a heavenly “bank account” – not literal, of course, but ensuring that we are in on God’s economic system by sharing our resources with others. It is a faith partnership with Him built on trust and obedience. God works by giving back to us what we give away. In this way He gets the credit and we get the blessing!

There is no guarantee that our money is safe in an earthly bank or investment. We are subject to the economics of our country and of the world, and the unscrupulous people who manipulate it for their own ends. The only place where God guarantees a safe deposit and a theft-proof return is in the hands of the needy because He underwrites every investment we make.

Our hearts will always follow our treasure. If the bank in which we have invested our money crashed, we would be devastated, but not if it is a bank in which we have made no deposit. Similarly, if we have invested in a heavenly “bank account”, we will have a great interest and commitment to the place where we have put our money for safe-keeping.

Jesus’s counsel to develop an eye of light means to change our focus. The focus of the pagan is on looking after his own needs. Our focus must be on bringing God’s kingdom here by doing His will. He promised to take care of the rest.

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt. 6: 31-33)

When we do what we can to bring God’s rule into our environment, God does what He has pledged to do – He takes care of our physical needs. This comes with the package. It’s as simple as that.

Jesus did not only instruct us to give in order to get in on God’s supply. He also said that the measure we use will determine the measure of God’s supply to us. God works reciprocally with everything. The measure we use to judge others will be the measure used against us. The measure of the mercy we show to others is the measure of mercy we will receive from God. If we refuse to forgive others, God will not forgive us. The measure we use to bless others will be the measure God uses to supply our needs. God is fair. His principle is:

So, in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. This sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matt. 7: 12)

Generosity is not about how little we can give to get by, but how much we can give to reflect the heart of God. God does everything in abundance. How many seeds would it take to grow an apple tree? Just one! How many seeds are there in all the apples on one tree? Many hundreds! Just one apple can produce a whole orchard of apple trees. God is generous!

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)

Jesus was interested in how, why, and what people put into the offering boxes. He condemned the Pharisees for giving to be noticed, but He was not only watching them. He was also watching someone else – a poor widow who unobtrusively dropped her insignificant offering into the box. Just as much as He read the hearts of the Pharisees, He read her heart.

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling His disciples, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor woman has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.’ (Mark 12: 41-44)

Jesus, aren’t you being a bit insensitive? Didn’t you say that the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing? Jesus saw something different in the heart of the widow woman. He saw obedience because God said that she must give. He also saw faith because she trusted God to meet her needs, otherwise she would not have given her last resource away. She got what she deserved, a commendation from the mouth of Jesus Himself and, most probably a return on her sacrifice in far greater abundance than what she gave away.

So, in which bank are you depositing your money?

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.