Where is your treasure?

"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)

These verses are a continuation of the lily passage. It seems at first glance that Jesus has changed subjects here, but on closer examination, this is a continuation of the previous teaching. The topic began when someone in the crowd asked Jesus to intervene in a matter of inheritance. Jesus responded with a warning against greed. "Not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." (Luke 12:15 NASB)

My life is not about my stuff.

Don't worry about your things, Jesus told His disciples. Don't worry about food or drink or clothes. Seek God and He will handle everything else. 

We come now to the question of possessions. Matthew Henry interprets this passage as an admonition to "sit loose to this world." Jesus recommended that we get rid of our excess of possessions and give the money to those who have little. Instead of focusing on owning things, our focus should be on treasure that lasts for eternity. 

If my life is not about my stuff, why do I spend so much time and care on my things? We all have 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year. Over the course of my life, I will spend considerable time caring for my things. Silver has to be polished. Clothes need to be washed, dried, ironed, stored. Tools and toys need consistent maintenance, as do vehicles. There's always something that need attention.

The care of stuff can take over my life, but I don't want my life to be about my possessions. I want to live a life filled with God and His ways, His people, not things. When stuff rules, that which matters most can easily get left out. There's a choice that must be made. 

In a culture of affluence, we see relative wealth everywhere we look. It is not so in most of the world. The things we so desperately "need" are not as essential as we think. If we want our life to be filled with God, it cannot also be filled with things. 

How much of my day is spent on things? How much on God? How much on the people in my life? That division of time will tell much about my priorities.

Jesus calls us to take a careful look at our possessions. Do we have more than we need? Are things taking up more time than is reasonable? Call a halt to the tyranny of stuff. Get rid of the excess. Use it to make a difference in the world around you. 

Our lives were never intended to be consumed by stuff. When we die, every one of the things we have so carefully treasured will be left behind. 

Today, let's take a careful look at our possessions. What do we need? What is excessive? What can we do without? Make a choice, then make a change.

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also... Where is your heart?

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Our Father, who lives and reigns forever in heaven, help me to take my eyes off this world and plant them on eternity. Help me to let go of my hold on things and cling to You, to store treasure in heaven. In Jesus' name Amen

Considering the lilies: Living the Lily Life of Faith

"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the  grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!  And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.                                        (Luke 12:27-29 NASB)

The lily series has continued a little longer than I expected, but we're winding down. We began this series by considering the lily bulb. In case you missed any part of the series, you can click on the links to catch up. We've also considered lily propagation,  lily's disposition, true lilies and the importance of the name, and the importance of planting the lily bulb deep in the ground.  Yesterday, we looked at the different varieties of lilies.

Today, we return to the original passage. "Consider the lilies," Jesus said, "And how they grow." You may remember the information about how lilies grow. They can grow from seed, form scaly bulbs, grow a single tall stem and produce fragrant, showy flowers. 

Jesus would also have us take note of how lilies don't grow. They don't toil, they don't spin, they don't worry, yet their "clothing" is breathtaking in beauty. "Not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these." It would be hard to dress ourselves in the beauty with which God clothes the lilies. 

Lilies and the grass of the fields have an extremely short lifespan. At most, the lily flower lasts a few days. When the bloom is spent, it's treated as trash and thrown away. The brevity of its life does not diminish its value. God still provides for the lilies, still clothes them in beauty.

If God clothes the lilies, don't you know He will take care of you? 

This discussion between Jesus and his disciples began when a man asked Jesus to intervene in his inheritance. Jesus saw his question as an indication of greed and He reminded his listeners, a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Life is not about your money. You can't take it with you. 

Life is so much more than you think.

Don't worry about what you'll eat. Don't worry about what you'll drink. Don't worry about anything. Your Heavenly Father can handle this. Quit worrying. 

Jesus went on to say, "Seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you." It's a matter of priority, of faith, of trust. If we stop chasing material things and start chasing the things of God,  we will experience the faithfulness of God in an amazing way. 

This is a promise. We can count on it. 

This trusting when I don't see how God can provide requires deep faith. It requires deep obedience. You and I have to stop living in panic mode and start living in faith mode. We have to adopt the faith of Jehoshaphat.  When a triple-army (Moab, Ammon, and Meunites) was coming to attack the nation of Judah, King Jehoshaphat turned to the only One who could deliver.

"For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You." 2 Chronicles 20:12 NASB

You and I need a lot less "I can handle this" and a lot more "my eyes are on You" if we are to live this life of faith we say we want. We need less seeking of our own solutions and more seeking God's solution. 

Life is more than we think. It is so much more, but we are content with so little. We surround ourselves with material things and call it wealth, but it's not. What God wants for us is Himself. He is the treasure we should seek. He is what make life rich. 

I want a lily life. 

Lilies spend their lives doing the work God has given them to do, putting the beautiful provision of God on display in their blooms, dependent on Him to provide. Just to be clear, lilies spend their entire lives doing the work God has assigned them. The lily life is by no means a life of leisure, but it is a life of joy. Of faith. Of promise.

We, too, can live like the lilies, but only if we start by seeking Him first. So let's take stock of our lives. Are we living like lilies? If not, let's begin by seeking God first. Do the work God has assigned us. Put His bountiful provision on display by the lives we live. 

Live like the lilies. 

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Our Father in Heaven, forgive us for seeking everything except You. Forgive us for accumulating the wealth of this world and missing that of the next. Help us to seek You first, to follow You. Help us to have the life You meant us to have. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Is our treasure stored on earth or in heaven?

Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. (Luke 12:15-22 NASB)

We began this series by a look at the generosity of God ("Who Owns My Stuff"), then our own view of wealth ("Being One of the Richest People in the World"). We've already seen that, although we think we own our wealth, it all belongs to God. He is incredibly generous with us. Compared to the rest of the world, most of us reading this post are among the richest people in the world. Our understanding of what it takes to survive is so skewed that we have no idea how many of the world's people live. 

Today, we look at the rich man's view of the future and God's response.

The rich man surveyed all that he owned, made plans to store all his grain and his goods, then came to some interesting conclusions.
1. I will always have wealth.
2. I don't need to work anymore.
3. I will live a long time.
4. It's my turn for fun. (Eat, drink, and be merry!)

He didn't say, "I have more than enough. It's time to help others." He didn't say, "I'll see how I can make a difference in the world around me." No. He was only concerned about himself, his own pleasure, and how he would use the wealth he had accumulated for himself. 

God had an entirely different view of his situation. God saw the man, his accumulated wealth, and his barns. He also saw the man's heart. God's conclusions were interesting, too.
1. Life is short. 
2. You can't take it with you.
3. A life lived for material things is a poor and foolish life.

God told the man, "You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?"

Jesus told His disciples that the man who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God is just like this foolish man. Our tendency, especially in a society of wealth and entitlement, is to think that we "deserve" what we have and should be able to spend our money however we want. Jesus makes it clear that the truth is quite different.

The "things" we accumulate do not have eternal significance. We will leave every single thing we have behind when we die, even those things we have treasured. It is, therefore, critical that we make preparations for eternity with the same diligence we prepare for our later years. 

"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 treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 19-21 NASB

If we want wealth that lasts, we must store it in heaven by the lives we live now. Eternal treasure begins by following Christ rather than the world. It begins by obedience to His commands and doing our work in ways that honor Him rather than ourselves.

Making a change in our lives (and in our investment strategies) requires that we begin by an assessment of our current situation. For today, look at the wealth you have accumulated on earth. How does it compare to the wealth you have accumulated in heaven? What have you stored where there is no moth or rust to destroy? Where no thieves break in and steal? Are we following Him in such a way that we are investing in the Kingdom of God?

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Almighty God, help me to see my wealth, my finances the way You see it. Help me store up treasure in heaven rather than simply here on earth. Show me Your ways and help me walk in them. In Jesus' name, Amen.

**** Tomorrow we will look at ways to store treasure in heaven, so be sure to check back.

Guarding Against Greed

Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?" Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." (Luke 12:13-15 NASB)

I have a notebook of verses that are my favorite and that have spoken to me at different times in my life. The last verse is one of those. "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" is my favorite translation of Luke 12:15. (Alas, I didn't note the translation but I think it's the TLB paraphrase) 

In this culture of affluence and entitlement, we can easily be swept into the current of covetousness. Don't be. Jesus gives not one warning against greed but two. Beware. Be on your guard against every form of greed. The repeated warning is a confirmation of His intent. Jesus is serious about our need to be intentional in avoiding greed.

The word translated as "beware" is horaō and can also be translated "to see". In this instance, the two admonitions indicate that we are to examine ourselves to prevent every form of greed. We are to be intentional about avoiding greed and the desire to accumulate things.

I look around me and am stunned by the amount of "stuff" I have accumulated over the years. There's a considerable number of items in my house that had no particular meaning for me at the time they were purchased. They serve no purpose other than decorative. I'm not sure now why I bought them, but they have become a symbol of the foolish ways I've used the money God has entrusted to me.

Therein is the problem. The money we have (much of which I have used to purchase "stuff") was entrusted to us by God. He had a purpose in giving it to us and an intended use for every cent of it. 

When I look at my income in that way, I'm shocked by how I've managed my money. If the widow who gave her mite, her last cent to God, is my example, I'm sadly lacking. Judging by the conspicuous consumption of those around me, I'm not the only one with this problem.

Despite all the possessions I've accumulated over the years, they are not my life. The people in my life are what matters. My son, my family, my friends, and (most importantly) my faith are what matters and by which I'd prefer to be defined. At the end of my life, I want people to remember the difference I made in this world, not the number of possessions I accumulated. I wonder if you can tell that from all the things I've accumulated over the years.

A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. 

It's a truth we would do well to understand. The greed that tells us otherwise must be avoided. Beware. Be on your guard. Examine your heart. Is greed there? A lifestyle of consumption? If we want to please God, our greed-filled lifestyles will have to change.

Why does our attitude about possessions matter? Jesus summed it up in Matthew 6:21.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

As we "beware", examining ourselves for the possibility of greed, let's evaluate that which we most treasure. Is it the things of this world or the next? Where is your treasure? 

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Dear God, forgive me for the ways I have used Your resources and the money You have entrusted to me. Cleanse me of greed and covetousness. Create in me a clean, generous, giving heart. Help me to store my treasure in heaven rather than trust in the things of this world. In Jesus name, Amen.