Matthew 6:20—”Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Come prayer time, we get on our knees and plead “Oh God! More of You and less of me. Let me do Your will. Use me as a vessel to do Your Kingdom’s work here on earth”. Next day:
– Morning is a rush to get the child to school or to get to the office amidst the traffic (where is the mercy – did we remember to pay forward to others the mercy that God gives us at every turn when we go wrong?)
– Get to work and we stomp impatiently as the coffee vendor passes on coffee cups to others before you (where is the meekness?)
– During the day, we volunteer for the task that has most visibility, weasel out of mundane jobs, assert ourselves till we have the last word ( where is the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness?)
What are we living for? Are our investments being built toward our life on earth (to fill our pockets, banks, houses and barns) or heaven ward? Matthew 6:24—[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.]
Career growth with bonuses and hikes, investment schemes, funds, shares, gold etc, all help build our earthly treasures.
Funding our ever-after-life involves our practise of the Word:
1-Overcome areas of our weakness/ sin and gain fruits of the Spirit as evidences. Galatians 5:22—[But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness]
2-Be like Christ to forgive others and hold our tongue instead of answering every one. Ephesians 4:32—[Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.]
3-Love and help others. Luke 6:35—[But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.]
When we sacrifice and give up things that we enjoy, or desire, it may seem difficult now. But when we see the bigger picture, in Heaven; we will be glad that we did what we did, when we did them. On the hand, we may even wonder why we didn’t do them earlier, more often, or with more cheer?! It may then seem as inconsequential things and not big sacrifices.
How can we invest toward our eternal life?
-1 Timothy 6:17-19—[Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.]
-3 John 1:8—[So they deserve any support we can give them. In providing meals and a bed, we become their companions in spreading the Truth.]
-Luke 16:9—[Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.]
Above all, remember this:
– We need to be wise stewards of the finances God has entrusted to us. Deuteronomy 8:18—[Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.]
– The investments we make in prayer and sharing the Gospel transform into eternal investments with a guaranteed rate of return that will exceed our wildest imagination. Matthew 6:21—[Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.]
Matthew 6:20—[Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.] We cannot settle for measly investments in the Kingdom of God. There’s much work to be done!
