In it, not of it.

Matthew 6:19-21

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

     These verses are part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus taught us not to lay up treasures for ourselves here on earth, but in heaven.  This may be a radical concept, but this is what he taught.  Somehow this teaching has been forgotten, laying in a garbage heap, along with other teachings by Jesus that people don’t like.  The point of these verses is to check our motives.  These verses aren’t against the accumulation of riches, they’re against the accumulation of riches on this earth.  We must see beyond this natural world. We must put on our spiritual eyes and thinking caps and look beyond what we see in this world. We must allow God to transform every aspect of our thinking and values.

Romans 12:2

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

We must stop valuing the things that the world values. As Christians we are no longer part of the world. We are in the world, but not of it.

Jesus spoke this of His followers in His prayer to the Father:

John 17:16-17

"They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."

     I believe we must stop picking and choosing the parts of the Bible we want to follow, and ignoring the ones we don’t want to follow. I believe it’s harder for people who have more to give it all up in surrender to God.  That’s perhaps why Jesus said it’s harder for a rich man to enter heaven than a camel to go through the eye of the needle.

Mark 10:25

  
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

    I am suggesting that perhaps having less money is a blessing in disguise. What the world sees as worse off may actually be better off. The beatitudes don’t make sense to the natural mind of man. The beatitudes only make sense in light of eternity, being in between two worlds. They make sense in light of this life being but a vapor, and learning to value eternity as greater than this short life. We must stop going along with the world systems. As Christians, we are no longer part of the world systems. We live in them, but we don’t play by their rules. We invest in eternity and build up our treasures in heaven.  What does it mean to build up treasures in heaven? First of all, it means an investment of time spent with God, time spent learning to hear the sound of His voice and the leading of the Spirit. Without this, it’s not only hard to obey God, it’s impossible. It’s impossible to obey God if we don’t know the sound of His voice. We can learn the sound of His voice by reading His word and by listening and obeying what we hear. In the Word we get to know God, His principles and His values. That way when we hear a voice we will learn to discern whether it’s God’s voice, our voice or the enemy’s voice. If all we think of is our earthly situation, and never about our future in heaven, our heart is in the wrong place. This earth is not our home. We are sojourners here, not permanent residents. God is our provider, not our jobs or our retirement accounts.

Matthew 6:22-23

The Lamp of the Body

 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

     These verses mean that if our eye is focused on the wrong thing our whole body will be full of darkness.  If all we see are dollar signs and not opportunities to minister, to bless people and invest in the kingdom, our eye is bad. If our focus is wrong, there is no hiding it from God. If we minister with even the smallest desire to get rich, that doesn’t escape the eyes of God. I am afraid of the judgment day for people who have stolen not only from God’s people, but from God Himself, when they sold the precious gospel of Christ for a dollar amount. Let these people enjoy their ill-gotten riches in this life, because they will never again know riches for all of eternity. We can make our dollar now, or make much more later in heaven by doing it God’s way.  It’s God’s way or our way. It can’t be both.

Matthew 6:24

You Cannot Serve God and Riches

 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

            Jesus is very clear. We cannot serve two masters. We must make our choice in whom we will serve. We don’t answer for other people and their choices. We answer for ourselves. Personally, as for me, I will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”