"Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also." Luke 12:33-34 NASB)
Today's post is a continuation of the section in Luke where Jesus addressed greed and materialism (leading into the lily series). Yesterday, we considered where we store our treasure. Today, we turn to the results of storing our treasures in heaven.
Over the years, several money managers have given me their expert opinion about how to safeguard my money and how to invest. The highest yield ventures always turned out to be the highest risk, with the greatest amount lost. One stock market crash after another made me wonder why I chose the high risk/high yield option in the first place. I finally learned that a "high risk" investment is exactly that. High risk. My investment strategy now is much more conservative.
There is one investment strategy that never fails. When we store our treasure, our investments, in heaven, they are unaffected by fluctuating stocks. Thieves never steal our riches. Moths never destroy our cash.
How do we put our investments in heaven? Matthew Henry wrote, "Grace will go with us into another world, for it is woven in the soul; and our good works will follow us, for God is not unrighteous to forget them." When we do good in the name of Jesus, we invest in the kingdom of God. We make an investment in heaven.
Our heavenly investment has the most amazing return. It never runs out. Matthew Henry says it is "never exhausted. We may spend upon it to eternity." I'm not sure what a heavenly return on an investment of grace and good works will be, but it will never fade; it will never end.
Giving money is not the only investment we can make. Visiting those in prison, praying for the persecuted church, mission trips, helping in Bible school, volunteering at a local hospice, visiting shut-ins are all examples of "good works" that can serve as a kind of investment in eternity. There are too many opportunities to list them all, for, this side of eternity, there will never be an end to poverty, hurt, need. There will never be an end to opportunities to do good.
I wish I'd invested more in the kingdom of God. I wish I'd shown more grace, done more good works.
Every day, we have opportunities to either go about our usual routine of life, or do a little extra, a good work, show a bit of grace to one in need. Every day, we have an opportunity to store treasure in heaven. An opportunity and a choice. Will we keep our eyes on this earth or set our hearts and our eyes on heaven?
Our focus determines how we live, so let's choose well. Set our hearts on heaven and send our investments on ahead.
Give grace and do good.
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Almighty God, Forgive me for setting my heart on things of this world. Help me to focus my mind, heart, soul on heaven so that I might live the way Jesus lived. Free of worry with openhanded generosity. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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