BUILD UP FOR YOURSELF HEAVENLY WEALTH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JULY 16, 2023.

SUBJECT : BUILD UP FOR YOURSELF HEAVENLY WEALTH!

Memory verse: "Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven, and come and follow Me." (Matthew 19 vs 21.)

READ: Matthew 6 vs 19 - 21; First Timothy 6 vs 17 - 19:

Matthew 6:19: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 

6:20: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

6:21: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

First Timothy 6:17: Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 

6:18: Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 

6:19:storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

INTIMATION:

The best way to live is to live with the consciousness of eternity; knowing that there is life after here; the everlasting life on the other side, either in heaven with God or in hell with Satan and his cohorts. Such consciousness motivates us to lead a life of obedience to God. One of such acts of obedience is in our stewardship with our possessions—adequately serving God and others with them. 

Obedience to God’s laws engender one ‘abounding in good works’ (being in abundance of good works and acts that please God). In ‘abounding in good works’ you lay heavenly treasures for yourself. For instance, we are blessed to be a blessing, therefore, we should be ready to give, willing to share, that we may lay treasures in heaven for ourselves. When your heart is transformed and you start working so that you can be a blessing to other people, then, you become obedient in your stewardship of your possessions.

Many people are always in dilemma how to reconcile 'abounding in good works' and their personal responsibilities. They ask questions as "who is going to pay my rent, buy my clothes, and provide food for me to eat if I should be mindful of spending on others?" The answer is that God starts taking better care of you than you ever took of yourself. This is a truth you need to open up your heart to, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal this to you.

We are responsible to care for our own needs and the needs of our families so as not to be a burden on others. We should, however, be willing to give up anything if God asks us to do so. This kind of attitude allows nothing to come between us and God and keeps us from using our God-given wealth selfishly.

We should build up savings for our use for good works. It's wrong to build up savings out of fear, or so that you can sit back and say to yourself, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for I have goods laid up for many days ahead." (Luke 12 vs 19.) That's the wrong attitude. But build up savings so that you always have resources to "abound in every good work" (Second Corinthians 9 vs 8).

Life is uninteresting if it is all about self.  You will agree with me that there is an inner joy when you do things to touch other people's lives positively. It's discouraging, and monotonous to get up every morning and go to work just so you can pay your house rent, buy food and clothes, meet your personal responsibilities. 

Having riches carries great responsibility. If you have been blessed with wealth, then thank the Lord. Don’t be proud and don’t trust in your possessions. Use them to do good; generous, helping the poor and the needy, investing in kingdom advancement endeavors etc. No matter how much money you have, your life should demonstrate that God controls the wealth that he has placed under your care.

The problem with a great amount of material possessions is that such distracts one’s mind from kingdom thinking. Materialism promotes self-indulgence as one thinks of what he can do or buy to entertain himself. In the Scripture passage we read today, that which caused the young ruler to stumble was his attachment to his riches. 

Ask yourself these pertinent questions; “Where do I put my time, money, and energy?” “What do I think about most?” “How should I change the way I use my resources in order to reflect kingdom values more accurately.” The right answers to these questions are pointers to your life motives. The material world was not created in order to provide an opportunity for the Christian to consume things upon his own lusts. It was created in order to be understood by man as a temporary sustenance for man while he is in the flesh. 

Treasures that we possess on earth can easily be consumed or taken from us. Because we know they can soon be taken away we worry about them. By concentrating on those things that are above this earth, one places earthly things in the right perspective. The crown of righteousness in heaven awaits those who have forsaken the treasures of the world. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of love for You and my neighbor. Engrace me, O Lord, to serve You and others with the possessions You put in my care, that I may stand perfect before You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!