SHARING BREAD
19 “Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves
break in and steal. 20 But
store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not
destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.”
Matt
6:19-21 (NIV)
Does this give anyone else the itch to clean out the closet
– purge the bulging attic – or rid ourselves of the overstocked storehouses? Jesus furthers our enlightenment by giving us
a wonderful parable against treasuring excessive hoarding in Luke:
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I
have no place to store my crops.’” 18 “Then
he said, ‘This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger
ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, “You have plenty of
good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, 'You fool! This very
night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have
prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This
is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich
toward God.” Luke 12:16-21 (NIV)
10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever
loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Eccl 5:10 (NIV)
Our life does not to consist in the abundance of our
possessions – life is vastly more important than the accumulation of mere material
things. We are all created for a far greater
purpose than simple self-indulgence, greed, the hoarding of wealth and the
desire to be satisfied by the created rather than the Creator. The words Jesus used translated “store up” in
our verses for today comes from the Greek word “Thesaurizo” meaning to gather
and to reserve. Our Lord warns us against
storing up that which is temporal – placing our hearts upon what our eyes can
see and our hands can grasp all of which will rot, rust and in the end prove not
flame retardant! On the other hand, Jesus
tells us we are to store up for ourselves what will make it through the fire when
our works and deeds will be tested by the flames. Our works are not to be temporary or
valueless rather of the highest quality and enduring. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians we are to be careful
how we build:
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as
an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be
careful how he builds. 11 For
no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus
Christ. 12 If
any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay
or straw, 13 his
work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It
will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's
work. 14 If
what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself
will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Cor 3:10-15 (NIV)
“Heaven
and hell are as certain as tomorrow’s sunrise, and the last judgment is as real
as this week’s balance sheet.” Robert J. Morgan
4 Wealth
is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Prov
11:4 (NIV)
Is our heart earth bound or heaven focused? Do our treasures
lie in the wealth of the world or the eternal treasures above? The heart will follow its treasure just as
the sunflower the sun. Love and
affection, value and esteem are placed on what one treasures. We are to watch the way we live our lives - it
will show us what we highly esteem. It
is not hard to discover if we have the courage to look – how do we spend or
invest our time – how do we spend or invest our resources. This is definitely not just about money, it
is about all the gifts we have been given.
We are merely stewards and it is valuable for us to remember that truth.
18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives
you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore
to your forefathers, as it is today. Deut
8:18 (NIV)
8 “'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares
the LORD Almighty.” Hag 2:8 (NIV)
“Being generous with your money is a personal
quality of someone that the grace of God has gripped. Why? Because the essence of the Gospel of
grace is generosity. Jesus Christ gave
up the Greatest Treasure in the world.
He gave away his treasure when he left the most affluent gated community
in the universe, heaven and all its glory, became poor, so that we might become
rich. He gave up Ultimate
wealth—Himself, for you. ‘It is more blessed
to give than to receive’, he said and lived.
He also said you cannot serve God and money, it’s impossible. You have
to choose. Only by the power of the Gospel of grace can you begin to be
generous”. Tom Wood
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not
to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to
put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our
enjoyment. 1 Tim 6:17 (NIV)
What I glean from this:
· I am not
to store up treasures on earth rather in heaven.
· My heart is
where my treasure is.
· Freely I
have been given to; freely I should give of my time, talents and
resources. I am merely a steward seeking
to be faithful to what has been entrusted to me.
