Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Matt 6:20 (NLT)
TREASURES – PART 2
Giving gifts is part of celebrating, it’s a way of expressing our love for others. But for my kids, it’s simply ALL about the what they GET… So we’re teaching them intentionally that while we do give gifts, our treasure is people and relationships, not things. And ‘to give' is something to value, while receiving is a blessing.
‘Storing’ and ‘valuing’ things is not the issue Jesus is talking about. We should consider a few things about the word “heaven.” Straight away, we think of a place that’s beyond this world, out there somewhere. It’s where we’ll end up when we die.
The word ‘heaven’ used here in Matthew is the word “Ouran.” It means an “elevated place, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect, the place where God dwells.”
The “heaven” we’re meant to store our ‘treasures’ in, is not a place that is out there somewhere separate from here. It’s the place where God dwells, the grip that holds all things together and gives all its order. Storing up treasure in heaven shouldn't turn into a “my mansion is going to be bigger than yours” contest…
When you lift your eyes and heart above consumerism and selfishness; when you rise up out of the rat race and pursuit of fame and fortune, you elevate your thinking and value to a place that extends beyond yourself. 1 John 4:8 says “God is love.” Matt 26 says the greatest commandments are to LOVE – God, others and yourself. 1 Cor 13:13 says “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
Love lives in the eternal (heavenly) realm. It transcends space and time, bank accounts and reputation, country and culture. Moths cannot eat it, rust cannot corrode it and thieves cannot grip it. It's beyond the bounds of this earth.
Whatever you can store up for yourself here on earth, spend it on expressing what is eternal to those around you.
Frederick Buechner writes, “wherever people love each other and are true to each other and take risks for each other, God is with them and for them and they are doing God's will.”
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