.png)
Where Is Your Heart Today?
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
These are powerful words of truth that we rather not hear about. I am fully aware that I might lose some readers right from the get-go because I’m touching “the dough,” but I will speak as the Spirit leads. For those of you that might be reading in the UK, Australia, or other parts of the world, in America: “the dough” is a slang for: “The money.”
As we know, the Bible is very clear about this in Timothy 6:10, when it says that money is the root of all evil. Does that mean that we are going to go out running to the bank and burn all the money that we have? Of course not! There is nothing wrong with money, just like there is nothing wrong with you holding a gun in your hands. The problem is what you do with it.
As we know, the Bible is very clear about this in Timothy 6:10, when it says that money is the root of all evil. Does that mean that we are going to go out running to the bank and burn all the money that we have? Of course not! There is nothing wrong with money, just like there is nothing wrong with you holding a gun in your hands. The problem is what you do with it.
In the United States, there is a popular saying that goes like this: “What Would Jesus Do?” I don’t know if this phrase is used in other parts of the world, but it was so popular in the States back in the 80s and 90s that there are souvenirs with the acronyms, “WWJD.” Which obviously stands for, “What Would Jesus Do?”
Related: What Does God Say About Fear? Find Out Today!
Related: What Does God Say About Fear? Find Out Today!
This phrase is used when we are faced with a difficult decision, and we don’t know what to do, so we ask ourselves that question (What would Jesus do if he was here?) We meditate on that, and usually, the answer should be that path we should take to make the correct decision.
I don’t care much for those types of phrases that come out from time to time, but meditating on this phrase, I began to wonder if we could apply it to the question of how we, as Christians, should view money, or to be more specific, how our hearts feel about our belongings and treasures. So the big question is, what would Jesus do with the money if he was you?
I don’t care much for those types of phrases that come out from time to time, but meditating on this phrase, I began to wonder if we could apply it to the question of how we, as Christians, should view money, or to be more specific, how our hearts feel about our belongings and treasures. So the big question is, what would Jesus do with the money if he was you?
Let’s see where is Jesus’ heart...
“And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, one thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!”
“Sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor?” These are strong words, but this is the key phrase for this message. As we can see, the rich man had done everything right since his youth. He didn't lie; he didn't commit adultery; he honored his father and mother; etc.
In other words, “he was a very good Christian,” wasn't he? But I guess that wasn’t enough. This is one of the passages of the Bible that we don’t even want to talk about because it sounds so difficult to comprehend. It's insane! Who would do such a thing? I don’t think that you would, would you?
I don’t know anybody that would sell everything that they have and give the money to those in need. So then what? Is this passage, and the word of the Lord just a fairy tale? Was he serious when he told this man to give it all up? Not many of us talk about these things, but the question is, what do you think?
Think about it for a second; would you do it? Would you sell everything that you have, and give it to the poor? I don’t think that there are many pastors preaching about this dilemma; otherwise, they would have empty churches, but hold this thought for a moment, and let’s take a look at another important passage from the Bible; let’s enter into the mind of our Lord Jesus Christ:
“And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
Now, let’s think about this for a second. This man (The scribe) came to the Lord hoping to follow him, and maybe he thought that he was going to be received with a big “Welcome!” Maybe he thought that the Lord was going to be happy to hear about his disposition, but he didn't get that warm welcome that he expected; instead, he got a “cold bucket of water.” In other words, he got a piece of reality.
He said to the Lord, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And the Lord told him, “Even the animals have a place to live, but I don’t even have a pillow to lay my head on.” In other words, He told him, “You say that you are going to follow me wherever I go, come with me, but know that we will be sleeping in the wilderness. If you're going to be next to me, you will also be cold with me when it’s cold, and hot when it’s hot.”
How many times have you heard messages on this Bible verse? Not many, probably. Maybe if you did, it must've been twisted with some clever excuse, justifying the words of the Lord to make them softer and more appealing. It must've also been a brief message because many are more interested in teaching you about your well-being.
About receiving miracles of healing; about solving your financial situation, so they can keep you happy and content. That’s how they keep you following them and keep you asking for more, but go tell that to Jesus; go tell him that you will follow him wherever He goes. (WWJTY) What Would Jesus Tell You?
Let’s get real, and let’s get down to earth. Let me ask you a question, and I want you to answer it to yourself, but be real. Do you really think that those passages are just “Biblical fairy tales”? Do you really believe that story? Only you know the answer to that.
But I surely tell you that most of us read these passages, and even though we don't say anything, we find them hard to believe in our hearts. Going back to the rich man, let’s read what the Lord said to him again: “Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor.”
Why is it so hard to understand this command? Is it because these are rough words? Of course, they are! We don’t want to hear this message, and many of us follow Christ because we think that He's going to solve our problems, and that’s why we continue to come to church every single Sunday morning.
But we need to understand that following Christ means to leave everything behind, to start a brand new life. This doesn’t mean that you have to give up everything and go to Africa to preach the gospel. You would have to have a calling if you were to do that, but in all reality, all of us have been called to renounce to everything we have, whether this is done physically or in the heart.
Think about this powerful phrase: “What you surrender on Earth is what you will gain in Heaven.” Whatever you give up for the sake of the Gospel of salvation in this earth, will be returned to you a thousand times in the eternal life, but you need a purpose; you need a strong motive in order to give it all up, and sometimes that’s what we do not have.
How many earthly possessions do you have? It doesn’t matter because to you, owning 3 homes and 2 cars maybe your treasure, but for others, owning a bed and a bicycle maybe their treasure. Either way, we have been called to give it all up. No matter what you have on this earth, it means nothing at all.
The Spirit moves and sees our hearts, and finds strong chains binding us. There is a stronghold that's keeping us from completely surrendering ourselves to Christ; as it is written:"No one can serve two masters." So it's time for us to choose the way. Either we choose this earthly life and continue the same as we have always been, or we will choose what's eternal, and surrender ourselves completely.
The bottom line of this message today is that we let go of our earthly possessions to do the work that the Lord has called us to do. We need to invest our effort in the Kingdom and make the Gospel of the Lord our main objective. It's not necessary to sell everything that we have, but it's necessary to let go of everything in our hearts so we can be efficient in our calling.
Let's think about the words that we read a few minutes ago, and let's meditate on them for a moment. We cannot take only what's convenient for us. The Word of God is clear as the water that we drink. There are only two ways. We have no other choice. Either we build our treasures on Earth, or in Heaven. (WWYD) What Would You Do? Where is your heart today?.
The bottom line of this message today is that we let go of our earthly possessions to do the work that the Lord has called us to do. We need to invest our effort in the Kingdom and make the Gospel of the Lord our main objective. It's not necessary to sell everything that we have, but it's necessary to let go of everything in our hearts so we can be efficient in our calling.
Let's think about the words that we read a few minutes ago, and let's meditate on them for a moment. We cannot take only what's convenient for us. The Word of God is clear as the water that we drink. There are only two ways. We have no other choice. Either we build our treasures on Earth, or in Heaven. (WWYD) What Would You Do? Where is your heart today?.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Was this information a blessing in your life? Please bless others by sharing this article. Look for the share button down below and don’t forget to subscribe to be notified when new articles are posted.
|
