The Daily Investment: Who Sees What We Do

"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)

We have spent the last two days considering the subject of storing our treasure in heaven. We began with "Where is Your Treasure". Yesterday, we looked at a "Never Fail Investment".

It's easy to get so busy with the details of our lives that we forget an important truth. Every day, as we live our lives, we are making an investment in eternity. We would do well to consider whether it is an investment that will stand the test of time or not. 

Paul described our works as building on a foundation of truth. We can build with gold, silver, and precious stones that will last or with wood, hay, and stubble that will not. One day, he said, our works will be tried by fire. Only that which remains after a trial by fire will receive a reward.(1 Corinthians 3:12-13)

I tend to think that my "works" need to be done in Jesus' name, but that's not completely correct. My good works need to not only be done in Jesus' name but also in Jesus' way. 

Jesus' way is to do our good works in such a manner that God receives all the credit, all the glory. (Matthew 5:16) Jesus' way is to be careful of practicing our good works so that others will see. When we give and serve in a way that encourages others to notice, their notice and accolades are all the reward we will receive. Give secretly, Jesus said, and our Father who sees what is done in secret will reward us.

It's so easy to share our good deeds with others rather than leave them at the foot of the cross. It's easy to turn what we meant to be pure gold into wood, hay, and stubble when we give in to the desire for the recognition of others. The blessing, however, is borne from the recognition we seek. God's or man's?

If we want an eternal blessing, we need to live in an eternal way, our feet on earth and our hearts in heaven. Do we keep our minds on things above or merely surviving in this world?  Following Jesus means following His way, and His way is the way of the Cross. 

Relinquishing our hold on all we love, all the spotlight, all the accolades of men, we follow Him. We go, confident that God sees and rewards, and His eternal reward will last throughout eternity.

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Our Father, forgive us for the tight hold we keep on the things of this world. Help us to cling to You above all else. Show us Your way. Help us to invest our lives in Your kingdom and to have eternal significance. In Jesus' name. Amen

Confessing Jesus Before Men: The Way, The Truth, and The Life

"And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9 NASB)

Confess before men" is a phrase that, in Greek, means to say the same the same things about Jesus that He says about Himself. In this series, we have reviewed the I AM's, including I AM the Bread of Life, I AM the Light of the World, I AM the Door, I AM the Good Shepherd (pasture), I AM the Good Shepherd, and I AM the Resurrection and the Life.

It was the night before Jesus' crucifixion. He spent those last few hours celebrating the Passover and talking with His disciples. In the limited time He had left, He poured truth into the men who would carry on after His return to heaven. 

"I'm going away," He told them. "Where?" Thomas wanted to know. "Don't worry. I'm going to prepare a place for you and You already know the way to join me." (Leanna Paraphrase) 

I love Thomas. He was full of questions and uncertainly, and not afraid to ask what he wanted to know. We should be so bold. "Jesus, we don't even know where You're going. How do we know the way?" Thomas asked. (LP) Jesus replied with words that we would do well to remember.

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; 

no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:6 NASB

(The passages in the Gospel of John are incredibly rich and worth reading. I encourage you to take the time to review John 13-15.)

How do we know "the way"? We know it because we know Jesus, and He is the way. The word translated as "way" is hodos and indicates the road one would take on a journey. In this instance, hodos is used to indicate that Jesus is the path we must take to a relationship with God. 

This word has also been used to describe the Christian faith, as "the way". It is used to indicate that living according to the teaching of Christ is a different "way" of living than we would choose otherwise. 

When we stand at a crossroads of decision, those of us who follow Christ must follow the path He trod. We must remember that Jesus denied Himself, left heaven, suffered incredible loss and pain, paid for our sin, and conquered death. He taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. 

We cannot merely choose the easiest or most profitable path. We must choose the way of Christ. The way of righteousness.

Are you struggling to make a decision? Turn to the words in red. In some versions of the Bible, the words Jesus spoke are printed in red. There's enough truth in those words to carry us through a lifetime. His is always the way we should go.

Of course, the problem with following the way of Jesus is that He demands forgiveness for enemies and prayers for persecutors. Who wants to do that? In our natural self, none of us. They are, however, the way of Christ. If we are to follow Him, we must follow His way. 

The way can be summed up in two short sentences. 

"Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

 and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 

This is the great and foremost commandment. 

The second is like it,' You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Matthew 22:37-39 NASB

If we are wondering how we should live, these few verses will give us a nice summary. Love God and love your fellow man. If we get those priorities straight, we have a nice start on the way of Christ.

Understanding the "I AM's" does more than help us know Jesus. To confess Jesus before men, we must "say" with our lives the same things Jesus said about Himself. If we are to be a living demonstration of Jesus as the way, we must live in obedience to His commands. We must love as He loved, give as He gave, serve as He served, forgive as He forgave. He is the way, and He's made the path clear. It's our job to follow close behind.

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, 

and those who find it are few. 

Matthew 7:14 NASB

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Our Father, Thank you for making the way clear by sending Jesus to show us the way to live and the way to You. Help me to choose Your path rather than my own. Help me to follow faithfully until the day I see you face to face in eternity. In Jesus' name, Amen.