The Heart of the Matter...

“…Take care not to do your good deeds publicly or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward [reserved for and awaiting you] with and from your Father Who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1)

“…and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open. Do not gather and heap up and store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal. But gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:18-21)

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in). Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?” (Matthew 6:24-25)

“For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all. But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given to you besides. So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:32-34 )

God took me to these verses today and I can see how we need to be more eternity minded in our everyday lives. We often can find ourselves seeking after things that aren’t going to last. We want the latest clothing styles, or just new clothes that we aren't tired of, or this certain food that we’re really craving right now. We do need clothing and food to live, but it says here, that’s not what we’re to seek after. God knows we need clothes to wear and food to eat. Our focus though is to be on the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, or His way of being and doing right. (We don’t measure what is right by the culture around us or even what we think and the standards we’ve set for ourselves. We measure what is right by His way of being and doing, which is found in the Bible.)

We are not to be anxious or uneasy about our lives. We are to seek the Kingdom of God. Then all these things will be given to us. When we are actively pursuing the Kingdom of God, and not worrying about our own lives, God has no problem getting everything together that we need. It is not like He needs our worrying to know what we need or to be able to get it for us. In fact our worrying can actually be hindering God’s work in our lives. When we completely surrender to God, each area of our lives, He has the freedom to put everything in order and provide exactly what we need- the perfect fit for that area.

Our focus is to be on eternity, not here on earth. If you’re familiar with teaching on giving, often times we tend to think about what God will do for us when we give. Well, sure, it’s true that we receive a harvest when we plant, and we should expect a harvest, but that isn’t to be our main focus. Here it talks about storing up treasure in heaven. So, yes, there is a harvest on earth that allows us to keep sowing more and continuing the cycle, but we’re storing up treasure in heaven- where it won’t be lost, stolen, or destroyed.

We can’t take things with us when we die, we have to send them ahead, and get it taken care of before we die. Getting people saved, giving, and so on, all have to be done before we die…and that sends our treasure to heaven. And if your treasure is in heaven, that’s where your heart will be too! However, if your treasure is on earth, that’s where your heart will be…and this world is not worth setting your heart on…it will all fade away. Take your energy and this time that God has given you and store up treasure in heaven. You’ll find that it is worth the effort.