Lay up Your Treasures in Heaven and not on Earth
Your life is pretty good. You have a nice home, some nice things in it, and a pretty good vehicle in the yard. You may be young and have a family well under way or somewhat older, your kids grown and gone and beginning to enjoy a life of some work and some good pleasure. You have got things in general pretty well established; and for the most part have a good life. Your not done though, there are still things to do, places to explore, things you would like to have; and still want to acquire some of those things and will continue to build on your assets. Sometimes you may sense that something is missing in your life but that s probably because there are things you want that you have not got yet.
If you re a business person you've seen how things have grown, working well and worth something; maybe someday soon will be able to sell your business or assets; or maybe retire young and have a number of years of a good life to enjoy.
Yes, you have spent some hard years building your lifestyle, your dreams and wants and things are going pretty well. Are you Laying up Your Treasures in Heaven or are they on Earth.
So with all this is there anything missing that you really need, is there something totally overlooked or if not maybe put off, after all it s not important for now, maybe later I may consider it. Surely I have lots of years left to think about it, and if not; well its not that important anyway. The Bible says in Luke 12:15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.
It continues with Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? So he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?
Are you building barns and storehouses or laying up your treasures in Heaven; and are you acquiring possessions that will satisfy for a time but not for long. Then after that is it to tear down these barns which represent or possessions and build bigger ones in which to store more of his grain and goods.
People tend to measure life's worth and value by the abundance of possessions. He or she is judged most successful who has the most money, the biggest house, the most expensive car, the biggest investments, the most recreational vehicles, or the best cottage on the beach. Jesus is not saying it is wrong to have riches or to have a savings plan. We all realize that a certain amount of material goods is necessary for life. What Jesus is saying is that a greater abundance of goods does not mean a greater abundance of life and without security of an eternal life it will be the same as having nothing in the end. God reminds the man that we leave the earth like we came into the earth with nothing!
The rich man in the preceding passage was a fool because in his greed he prepared for the wrong future. He prepared for his future life on earth but gave no thought to a future life in heaven. He gathered treasure on earth without gathering treasure in heaven. The rich man was a fool because in his greed he thought of everything as it is. "My barns, my grain, my goods." He did not consider it is all a gift from God. He did not realize that the barns, the grain, the goods, and even his soul belonged first of all to God
Matt. 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Do not put everything into your earthly possessions which will have no value in eternity; but lay up your treasures in Heaven, where they will have value for all eternity.