Do you have a lot of treasures? What kind pf treasures are they? Is it gold? Is it cryptocurrency? Is it diamonds? Is it family memories? Is it memories of witnessing to others about Jesus? Are your treasures earthly or heavenly? Let me tell you what God taught me about how storing up treasures brings hope.
I have spent some of my time trying to amass earthly treasures. In doing so I lost it all. I went after a carrot on a stick that lured me into making bad decisions. I chased after female companionship. This led me to chasing after money. I was lured into a scheme whose only purpose was to steal my money. It worked because my heart was not in the right place at the time. God warned me of this, but I did not heed His warning. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:34 (ESV) I was seeking earthly treasures not just monetary but also relationship treasure. Luke 12:33 says “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.” (ESV) My priorities were messed up. I was not seeking heavenly treasures which give me everlasting hope, but I was seeking earthly treasures which only provide short term earthly hope.
God also taught me how to store up my treasures in heaven. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 says, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (ESV) So when I have earthly wealth I am to use it to do good, to help those in need, and grow the kingdom of God here on earth.
One of the ways I have found to store up heavenly treasures come from Psalms 119:11, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (ESV) So by spending time in God’s Word and memorizing key verses builds my relationship with Him and stores up treasures in heaven. But the greatest thought to me about treasure is that God treasures me. “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” Deuteronomy 14:2 (ESV)
I pray that you will join me in storing up heavenly treasures and remember that you that believe iun Jesus as your Lord and Savior are God’s treasured possession. In doing so you will gain heavenly blessing and God will provide your earthly needs in that there is hope. Being God’s treasured possession gives me great hpe as well. Hope that a good God is always there to provide my every need. We need to be decisive in the fact that God loves us so much He sent His Son Jesus that we might have eternal life. In doing so you will find the only true source of hope. Remember though that all sin is forgivable except the sin of unbelieve in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied the penalty for my sins and yours as well. It satisfied all my sins from the past, in the present, and in the future. My penalty and yours were satisfied on the cross by the death of Jesus, God’s greatest act of love and wrath, who became sin for me and you. It was also God’s greatest act of faithfulness because “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) Because wisdom shows us, we need to believe in Jesus. I hope that you join me in helping others to choose Jesus.
If you have not read my previous blogs, you can find them here. You can watch a book trailer about my book. You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here. eBook or Audiobook versions can be found at Westbow Press
