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

The Never Fail Investment: Storing Treasure in Heaven

"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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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