Many people take pride in their earthly possessions - the car they drive, the house they live in, their qualifications, social circles , and what have you? But all these are fleeting. They are like the very lives of men, they blossom beautifully and die quickly.
Someone takes great pride in owning an airplane, but the next moment it crashes and is no more. How vain to put one's hopes and heart in anything that slips past and vanishes into thin air. How utterly imprudent!
Proverbs 4:23 ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well spring of life.’
The heart is the focal point of life. It is a well from which life is drawn. Your heart is your life, and sums you up. Your heart will reveal what , and whom you truly love. You may put up a false front, and appear to love someone or something, but when the test of time comes, your heart will expose every falsehood.
"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." Jeremiah 17 :9 -10The Lord Jesus in His earthly ministry revealed the heart of a man who supposedly loved the Lord. Matthew 19 :16 - 22 tells of a man that approached Jesus asking how he could get eternal life. When Jesus told him to obey the commandments, he replied that he did abide by the commandment. Then came the litmus test ! Jesus asked him to sell all he had, give it to the poor, and then come and follow Him. The man went away very sad because he had great wealth. And permit me to add, he had great wealth that was his treasure. His very heart resided in that wealth, in spite of his religious front.
Jesus said we must store up for ourselves treasures in Heaven. The young man we just read about was not willing to part with his earthly treasure. He was storing up his treasures on Earth. Irrespective of his religious stance, his heart was on Earth. He was earthly minded, and not Heavenly minded. He did inquire about the way to Heaven, but the price was too costly for him. WHERE IS YOUR HEART? Earthly treasures fade away, they are eaten by moths and dust. They can be destroyed by rain, fire or an earthquake. They are like vapour that vanishes.
1 Peter 1: 3-6 assures us that Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.
If we choose to follow God through Jesus Christ, we shall have our treasures stored in Heaven. Our hearts shall lead us to Heaven. We ought to live for God and make God and Heaven our priority. We must serve the Lord whether we live in abundance or want. We must serve the Lord whether we get the good job or not. We must serve the Lord whether the church we are building for Him is small or big. We must serve the Lord whether our prayers are answered or not. Never come to a point in life where you measure how close you are to God by the outward things you do for Him, and for man. The young man in Matthew 19 religiously obeyed the commandments of God, but his heart loved the world, so had all his treasures on earth, with nothing in Heaven.
Never also come to a point where you measure how close you are to God by the material blessing you have. This man under study had great wealth on earth, but was bankrupt in Heaven. Whatever God gives to you as a child of God is for His Kingdom. In the early church, believers brought their possessions to the church and shared with all. When Ananias and Sapphira whose treasure was money, tried to deceive God, He struck them dead. You cannot deceive God, all your works will go through fire - 1 Corinthians 3: 13 the workmanship of each person will become evident, for the day of judgment will show what it is, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's action.
Let us be Heavenly minded, with our treasures and heart both at the same place - on God and in Heaven, just like the saints described in Hebrews 11 :13 - 16
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desired a better that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
God seeks men and women after His heart, who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Do an inner search to find out where your heart is, it is your ticket to Heaven's treasure!
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