Don’t Miss a Lay Up

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Matthew 6:19-21

The Sermon on the Mount is full of holy presumption.  Jesus is addressing his hearers as those who WILL be actively engaged in certain activities: “When you give…”; “When you pray…”; “When you fast…”  “When,” he says, not “if.”  He goes on to refine our thinking in these areas, reminding us that mere behavior, apart from holy motivation, is not only insufficient for God’s purposes, but actually, keeps us from blessing.

We WILL lay up some treasure somewhere – that’s not at issue – but what kind of treasure, and where?  Treasure is something apart from ourselves that we work for, value,  save up, admire, and give attention to.  Worldly treasure is destined for destruction.  But what is the treasure that endures?  That which is stored in heaven – and what’s in heaven is people.  Jesus already sees people as supremely valuable and worth saving, and he invites us to see them this way too. Be the man who invests in others and leads them to Jesus.

DO THIS TODAY: Do something extraordinarily kind for someone who can’t repay you.