“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 HCSB
We have two things we can invest and that’s time and money. You can tell where someone’s priorities lie when you know where they invest these two things.
For some people, their time and money go to making more money. There is nothing wrong with money, it is necessary to our survival. But, 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us that the love of money (not money itself) is the root of all evil. It’s okay to possess money, but you must be careful that your money does not possess you. Are you tithing with that money(Malachi3:10)? Are you doing the work that God has called you to do or are you working for selfish gain?
Others find themselves drowning in debt because they want to spend more than they make. They like to spend more than they like to work and that doesn’t work out.
We can make more money, but we can’t make more time. God gives us 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week and 365 days in a year. We also know that life on earth is very temporary. Psalm 90:12 says, “So, teach us to number our days so that we may get a heart of wisdom.” 1 John 2:17 tells us that the world is passing away with all its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. We are told in James 4:14 that we are like smoke that appears for a while and then vanishes. Are you using your time wisely? Are you giving time to God in Bible study and prayer and doing the work He has called you to do?
We need to be very careful about how we invest our time and our money. It is so easy to get wrapped up in this earthly existence and feel the need to work more and more and stay so busy that we neglect the work of our Lord and Savior. Sadly, many of us don’t even realize this is why we are here. In Jeremiah 1:5 God told Jeremiah that before He formed him in his mother’s womb, He set him apart and appointed him a prophet to the nations. Ephesians 2:10 says we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We are here because God has work for us to do, His work, not our work or man’s work, but His work. Are you doing His work? Are you investing your time and your money in your permanent heavenly home or are you working your fingers to the bone trying to collect temporary riches here on earth? If so, how’s that working out for you? It may be working well. You may be killing it in your financial life here on earth, but remember that’s very temporary.
If we go to heaven, what awaits us there? Well in John 14:2, Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
Revelation, chapter 21, describes heaven in this way, as a holy city with a light like a most precious stone. John describes a wall constructed of Jasper and a city of pure gold. He said the foundations of the wall were adorned with precious stones like sapphires, emeralds, topaz, and amethyst, just to name a few. The gates were made of pearls. The streets of the city were pure gold like clear glass.
Are you working for your mansion in the sky? Is your citizenship in heaven where precious stones are used for building materials, gates are made of pearls and streets are made of gold (Philippians 3:20)? These things will last forever. Or are you working for those things here on earth which will soon be of no use to you?
The things we work so hard for here and those things that symbolize great wealth are as common as asphalt and concrete in heaven.
Where is your treasure? Are you so busy building wealth here that you are neglecting what God has called you to do or are you storing great treasure in heaven?
If you are busy accumulating great wealth here and neglecting what God has called you to do, you need to really enjoy it because you may be spending eternity apart from God in the torment of hell.
When we do what God calls us to do, He makes sure we have time to do the things we need to do to survive here on earth. He supplies our every need and even gives us some of our wants.
Do what He’s called you to do and He will take care of the rest.
Have a great day!