Your Treasure
Matthews Gospel records,
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:16-23.
Here’s the test Christians need to think about if you claim to be following Christ. Would you be willing to give up all that you had, your home, your big bank account, the luxuries of life. Even be willing to leave the country you live in to follow Christ?
To be a Christian is to be willing to give up the riches of this world to do the will of God. Jesus said,
There is nothing wrong with being wealthy and having all the luxuries wealth can bring. There were wealthy men in the early church and there are many wealthy individuals in the modern church who love God. Men and women who are serving God with their wealth.
The key however is not to let wealth rule your life.
If you find yourself wrapped up in the pursuit of wealth to the exclusion of serving God that is wrong.
The rich young man that came to Christ believed in God. However he was placing his faith in his wealth not in God. It’s easy if you have a lot of money to rely on it. It’s comforting to know that your material wealth is there when you need it.
It’s much harder to give it all up and put your faith in God to provide for your needs. It is however in God that we must put our trust not the wealth of this world.
Jesus said,
“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 6:19-21.
By trusting in God and serving Him you are storing for yourself treasure in heaven. That this world cannot take away from you.
Not far from where I live there is a huge cemetery. Buried there are men and women that had great wealth in this life. At the same time there are many who were virtually pennyless laid in a paupers grave.
What they all had in common was that the material wealth they had in this world be it a lot or a little stayed here. They passed into eternity into the presence of God with nothing material. Materialism in heaven means nothing.
When I was a much younger Christian we use to have a saying that went like this.
“ you have only one life that will soon be past.
Only what’s done for Christ will last”
While it may not be scripture, it is true.
While it is our faith in Christ that gets us to heaven. It is what we have done for Christ that God will reward us for.
Please think about it.
