Paper Crowns and Paving Material

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21)

My Bride and children will eventually die. My job has competition and may get outsourced. My body may get injured or diseased causing me to lose my job, my hobby or my comfort. The result of my work is soon obsolete and has no lasting value. Our land requires constant care or it will be overrun with briars and poison ivy. Houses and cars require continuing investment and maintenance or they begin to deteriorate and become worthless. Companies and markets are constantly changing or being manipulated so that stocks are untrustworthy and vigilance is required.

The problem is that every earthly treasure has a destroyer. Our treasure is revealed by what we would die for, by what we sacrifice to gain and by the effect of its loss. What could I lose that would cause me to wonder, “Why go on living?” The treasure of one’s heart has his inner thoughts, emotions, energy and even his identity wrapped around it. It’s a serious mistake and a real danger to us to invest our hearts in earthly treasures, positions or goals.

In fact, if our life energy is focused on an earthly treasure, it is a grace from God for Him to take it away or to shake our confidence in it. No worldly goal or achievement is worthy to be at the heart of our eternal soul. We’re designed by God to discover true joy when we put the focus of our investment, emotion and pleasure into things of eternal value. The men, women and children we pull back from the abyss become our spiritual heritage. They may even welcome us home some day. Our eternal relationships with one another and with the Eternal Lover of our soul are the ultimate treasure. In contrast, our earthly positions are as false as paper crowns and gold is merely paving material in the city of God.

He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. – Jim Elliot

Project:

* Let’s ask God, “Lord, reveal your perspective on my priorities and treasures.”
* Let’s put any earthly treasures on an altar in our heart and offer them to God.
* Let’s ask God, “Lover of my Soul, change my heart to primarily desire to know you and to love my neighbor into your Kingdom.”

--