How much treasure have you laid up in heaven? Where are your riches? What are you worth? Is all you are worth what is in that bank account? Or that investment account? Or in that land or house or property? IF SO, THEN YOU ARE REALLY ‘POOR’ AND NEED TO START DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Jesus said,
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”– Matthew 6:19-21. Wow!
So do you mean, a man can live in such a way that his words and deeds on earth will CREDIT his heavenly account? YES, and we will see HOW. This is a wise counsel, that will serve you well for eternity long: DON’T SPEND YOUR WHOLE LIFE JUST AMASSING MATERIAL WEALTH. BE SMART – GATHER AND HEAP UP AND STORE FOR YOURSELF TREASURES IN HEAVEN, WHERE THEY WILL NOT BE ERODED OR DESTROYED, AND WHERE THIEVES DO NOT BREAK IN AND STEAL. The Bible says in Psalms 39:5-6,
Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them.
Take stock of your life – It’s a good practice to know what you have. One cardinal rule in navigation is, ‘To know where you are going, you must know where you are’. So do an inventory of what you have. Most people cannot even tell you what they have; they simply don’t know what they are worth – That’s not financially prudent.
But as you take stock of your earthly wealth, Now let’s do that on your heavenly wealth: How much are you worth in heaven? How many souls have you won? How many have you built up? How much have you invested in the kingdom of God? What lives have you impacted? What is your spiritual track record? SELAH! SELAH! SELAH!
Why do I ask these? The psalmist said, ‘Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.: (Psalms 62:10) Brood on that, IF YOUR RICHES INCREASES, SET NOT YOUR HEART UPON THEM. Selah!
This is why Jesus spoke this parable in Luke 12:16-20, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
Upon reading that passage, you would think that Jesus was against amassing wealth and being rich. But not exactly so. The main objective of that passage is in the concluding verse in verse 21,
“SO IS HE THAT LAYETH UP TREASURE FOR HIMSELF, AND IS NOT RICH TOWARD GOD.”
Jesus was addressing covetousness and greed, and pursuit of earthly wealth, without any consideration for your heavenly wealth. You can be rich in this world and poor towards God; and one can be poor in this world but very rich towards God. And again you can be rich in this world and also rich towards God, when your earthly riches is not an impediment but a catalyst for amassing heavenly wealth. Where do you fall?
By all good means, make money, save, do investments, do business. But with equal or greater passion AMASS HEAVENLY RICHES, for the former is temporary but the latter eternal. Let that Wisdom be your guide. You are blessed! Hallelujah!
