WHAT DO YOU TREASURE?
At the risk of coming off as a pirate hiding his treasure, making a map so they can find it again, or for their successors to…. I ask this question: what do you treasure?
I can tell you, not only from experience and observation, but also from the Word of God – we as people, individually and congregationally, tell everyone around us exactly what we treasure by what we talk about, what we invest in, what we do, what we prioritize. Each of us displays our treasure without even saying a word at times and by how we use our time, talents. It shows exactly what we are treasuring.
Look at the following passages:
Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
So, let’s dig these verses apart:
Good used here means beneficial, and is directly related to being properly beautiful, valuable, virtuous, honest.
Stored used here means placed in deposit of wealth figuratively as treasured.
Overflow used here means a surplus, superabundance.
Speaks used here means to talk, utter words, preach, tell.
Jesus is teaching us that what our heart contains will ooze out of us in our conversations and what we are prioritizing in our lives.
There is a serious lesson for us to take away, actually – a few of them:
1) What you set your heart upon is your treasure, and it is what you will work for and towards
2) What you treasure you prioritize, so take an inventory of what you spend your time on, what you put first, and what you don’t will help you discern what is most important….
3) When it comes to the LORD, when it comes to Church, when it comes to Family, when it comes to Work, when it comes to Money, When it comes to Possessions, When it comes to People, When it comes to Pleasures…. which occupies most of your time, talent and treasure? This will tell you what is in your heart and what is most important to you, or more over who is most important to you…. of course, this does not mean, when it comes to making a living, as many need to put much time in, but it is wise to take stock of how much of your life is balanced or out of balance.
4) It is easy to make excuses, or put off something or someone – or to even notice what others prioritize, but let’s be honest, how many of us do any one of these three things and never take the time to really assess our own heart’s treasures and priorities?
5) Look at your investments – money, time, people, work, church, family, your relationship with Jesus, etc…. which one usually gets the short end of the stick? Which one gets the most attention? What are you most involved in?
6) How many of us make it hard or hinder, help or make it easier for others to prioritize the right things or more important things? I mean – do we serve one another in a way that makes it possible for those around us to prioritize the right things in the right order? Or do we throw more on others, leaving them with not enough time or energy to prioritize the right things?
1) What you set your heart upon is your treasure, and it is what you will work for and towards
2) What you treasure you prioritize, so take an inventory of what you spend your time on, what you put first, and what you don’t will help you discern what is most important….
3) When it comes to the LORD, when it comes to Church, when it comes to Family, when it comes to Work, when it comes to Money, When it comes to Possessions, When it comes to People, When it comes to Pleasures…. which occupies most of your time, talent and treasure? This will tell you what is in your heart and what is most important to you, or more over who is most important to you…. of course, this does not mean, when it comes to making a living, as many need to put much time in, but it is wise to take stock of how much of your life is balanced or out of balance.
4) It is easy to make excuses, or put off something or someone – or to even notice what others prioritize, but let’s be honest, how many of us do any one of these three things and never take the time to really assess our own heart’s treasures and priorities?
5) Look at your investments – money, time, people, work, church, family, your relationship with Jesus, etc…. which one usually gets the short end of the stick? Which one gets the most attention? What are you most involved in?
6) How many of us make it hard or hinder, help or make it easier for others to prioritize the right things or more important things? I mean – do we serve one another in a way that makes it possible for those around us to prioritize the right things in the right order? Or do we throw more on others, leaving them with not enough time or energy to prioritize the right things?
OK, so hearts, treasure – all that said…. I would like to touch on a nerve a bit. Everyone knows the family is under attack right now. Everyone sees the devastation it is bringing to the next generation. We think doing more benefits our family, rather than making them more. I wonder if we have gotten so out of balance with life stuff, that the life we have is run ragged and our loved ones are suffering because we have our own personal treasures placed ahead of them, expectations of what they should treasure but we don’t consider what we treasure may need changed, or we are teaching them by example what to treasure that should not be one’s top priority as a follower of Christ that should treasure Him above all things.
Treasure Jesus Along with You,
Pastor Daren