It's Me Again God

68. Where is Your Treasure?

It's me again God,

Living with plenty is the life goal of most people in our world today. After purchasing one property, they are encouraged to begin acquiring investment properties, aimed at increasing their wealth before they retire. Or maybe they are buying shares on the stock market. Working long hours to increase their net worth or even taking second jobs, often leaves little time for family and friends, let alone You God. Whatever way they do it, people seem to be obsessed with having more and generally keeping it for themselves and their family.

Temptation is all around us through advertising in the media and we are often hounded by telemarketers who want us to come to seminars on creating wealth. It can seem like there is no escape, but reading Your parable Jesus, might just put things into perspective:

"And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' "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?' "This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.""
‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:16-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Clearly it is alright to store things up but Jesus, You emphasise that the problem is that often we can store things up and be so overly involved in our possessions that our eyes are off You and we show no love for You. We can show that we are rich toward You by giving sacrificially to those in need. Sadly seeking after earthly riches as our main focus can cause us to fall into many other temptations:

"Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:9-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It's fine to earn money and save it but we need to remember that all we have is because You have provided us with the ability to work. Lord may my life be a constant giving back to You and those in need as I lovingly thank You for Your great provisions. May my heart be turned to You, always desiring that my life be more about You and less about me.

""Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:19-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Continue to challenge me concerning this Lord as I head out into the world today. May I seek to bring You glory and concentrate on storing up riches in heaven.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.