Where is your treasure?

What is your attitude to the things of this world? Are you precious about the material possessions you have, or the money you have saved? How would you feel if your house was robbed or burnt down, or your money was lost or taken? Consider what your reaction would be. Sadness and annoyance would be fair, but, would you be distraught, furious, heartbroken? If so, then you are treasuring the things of the world too much. These material and financial things will one day no longer exist, so be mindful of how much focus, love and attention you give them now. Learn to live for eternity in heaven, not for temporary satisfaction on Earth. This is what Jesus teaches about such things;

Matthew 6:19 - 24

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 

Where is your treasure? How much do you have an Earth and how much are you storing in Heaven? It matters where you put your resources. You would be a fool to choose a low interest bank account when you know there is a higher rate one available. Which have you chosen? Are you investing in the guaranteed high interest bank of heaven which will last you for eternity, or are you investing in lower value here in the world? 

Jesus makes it clear, - you can serve either God or money, not both, there is no middle ground. Money and possessions are resources, they should never become more than something that is utilised, and the most importnat thing that you can use them for is for the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a choice that you have made already about how you use the treasures at your disposal, but is it the right one? Jesus wants you to clearly see what you are doing (v22-23). He removes the darkness, so what are your sights set on? What are your aspirations and the things that you focus on in life? For you can either serve God, or serve money. One has eternal importance, and the other is temporary. 

Who really is your Master? You could be storing up plenty of resources and investing in a financially secure future on earth, like many people do who do not know God. Why are you doing that? What is your security really in? Are you thinking if you have enough then you and your family will be ok? If that is where you have hope and trust then you have missed how big God is, and you are blind to the sin and destruction in the world that could so easily snatch it away. God is far more capable of truly taking care of your family in the here and now, the future, and for all of eternity. Are you investing in the best place for them? It will mean a less comfortable earthly life if you are investing in the Kingdom of Heaven, but the reward will be infinitely greater. God is greater than the highest interest rate, more powerful than any government or authority, richer than any business person and more stable than any stocks, shares or investment strategies. God is stable and sure. He guarantees you a great reward when you serve Him and invest in His Kingdom. So, where are you putting your trust? What has your focus, love and attention? Do you want to invest in eternal certainty, or temporal instability? Choose where your treasure will be. 

What are you boasting in?

 *9*Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, *10*and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. *11*For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. 

James 1:9–11.

It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, you’re still going to wither like the grass one day. The same thing happens to us all. It doesn’t matter what you have or what you don’t because on the day you take your final breath it won’t effect your eternal destination. So, whichever condition you are in right now, do not gloat about it. 

James calls the poor to, ‘boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation’. Both very counter-cultural statements. In society, it is often those with money who have influence and power, who are upheld by others and admired and so have the platform to exalt themselves. Therefore James instructs those who are rich to boast in their humiliation not in their worldly influence. If you consider yourself rich, James exhorts you to not get swept away with what you have. Don’t go around showing off your riches and opportunities, but remember that without Jesus you really have nothing! When you compare what you have to the power, influence and renown of God, what does what you have look like? Even the richest people on Earth look poor compared to God. Put your life into God's perspective. When you consider God and His kingdom, what is your life worth? Therefore boast in your humiliation.

On the other hand, James tells those who are deemed poor to, ‘boast in his exaltation’. If you consider yourself poor and lacking today, James instructs you not to boast about what you lack. Instead remember how much you DO have. James invites you to develop an attitude of gratitude. You have much to be grateful for. If nothing else, then the minimum that you have is the fact that Jesus has given you life, a future and many promises. If you live your life following him, you have so much; You have a purpose, an eternal future, a relationship with God, a place prepared in heaven and you are an heir with Jesus! Even the poorest on Earth can be rich in eternity, so put your life into God's perspective and consider what is your life worth? Therefore boast in your exaltation.

The point here is that God does not want us to get carried away with our current circumstances on Earth as one day it will all be gone. So, instead of being concerned about being rich or poor, think about how much your life is worth to God. He sent His only son to die for you and He has invited you to live eternally with Him - this is worth boasting about, not the state of your finances. Whatever your situation right now, it will end. Whereas your eternal inheritance will not. Whether you think you have a lot or a little, one day it will all be irrelevant. It will ‘pass away’ and ‘wither’. So don’t build your life upon what you have in the here and now as it is transitory. Those things won’t mean a thing when you get to see Jesus face to face, the will wither and fade away.