Where's Our Treasure?

                                                   Photo Credit: Alex Setzer

Matthew 6:19-21 has always proved to be a challenging few passages for me personally, and I imagine most people as well. So not surprisingly, I also found this portion of Pastor Scott's sermon challenging and a bit convicting. This is challenging for us on many levels. First of all, being that we are born into sin, that also comes with it an innately natural self-centered nature. Quite simply, we are born selfish. It's not until we are taught/parented differently that we learn differently. Much the same way, it isn't until we put our faith and complete trust in Jesus Christ that we begin to see the "big picture" and begin to think with a heavenly perspective. This also presents another set of challenges to those who may not be "big picture" type of thinkers.

Our relationships with our peers, neighbors, family, co-workers, friends, and so forth prove vital in how we often measure value. When we see another person with a better job, better car, bigger house, and whatnot, it is natural to covet these things. Just as if we were fortunate enough to be that person on the perch who may be "better off," it would be natural to think less of someone not as fortunate. These feelings may be natural, but don't mistake that for approval. This is precisely why we need God to look at these situations with the eyes and heart of Jesus. Through Him, we can train ourselves to respond naturally with a Christ-like attitude.

So when we have thankful hearts for what we do have rather than focusing on what someone else may have, we are storing up our treasures in heaven. When we look at someone not as well off as equal or even greater than us in certain areas, we are storing up our treasures in heaven. When we respond to harsh words, hurtful accusations, rumors, etc. with a loving response and prompt forgiveness, we are storing up our treasures in heaven.

So how do we respond to what we have read and heard about this week? In what areas can we die to ourselves and shift our focus from the temporary and wordly to the eternal and heavenly? In what ways can we give more of our time, talents and devotion to the Lord?