08 Mar The Worthlessness of Riches
Where are you storing up your treasure? The Bible shows us, in regard to riches and possessions, that there are two kinds of people: Those who store up treasures on earth, and those who store up treasures in heaven. One of the interesting points for me from our lesson this past Tuesday night was that in God’s economy and in His kingdom, gold and silver rust! The earthly imperishable and incorruptible simply end up in rusty heap in heaven (or as heavenly asphalt– to pave the kingdom streets with). Think about it this way: Gold and silver are not the currency of heaven. Their earthly usefulness is only as valuable as their heavenly investment. Once we leave the planet, we will no longer have use for it or for any of our possessions for that matter. You simply cannot take any of it with you… but you can send it on ahead of you in the way of heavenly treasure by investing in those things that will last for all of eternity: God’s truth and people. We’ve to get away from the “building bigger barns” mentality and adopt the Kingdom-building lifestyle. Whether our bigger barns are bigger homes, bigger closets, more homes or simply more storage units to contain our stuff- it all takes time, money and focus to maintain; time money and focus that could be invested in kingdom efforts. That’s how we turn money (a root of all evil) into a heavenly blessing: Send it on ahead by investing in eternal work. As a dear friend of ours said after losing money in the stock market crash, “The only money I’ve never lost is the money I’ve given away for God’s work”. So true.
So… what’s a girl to do with her “bigger barns”, bigger closets and all the excess in her life (and we’ve all got some)? 1 Timothy 6:7-8 tells us that the weed-killer of all evil is “godliness with contentment” which equals “great gain”. Contentment is a learned behavior (Phil. 4:11-13). It’s the principle of enough… no matter what. Cultivating contentment in one’s life takes serious focus until it becomes a habit. May I suggest again the four-pronged approach I gave you Tuesday night:
1. Buy one – give two away: For every new thing you purchase, give away two things you already own. (Give away- not consign.)
2. Get one – give one away: For every gift you’re given, give something you already own away. You’ve been blessed to be a blessing!
3. Use it or lose it: If you have an excess of anything and are not using it- then get rid of it… give it to someone who can and will use it. Remember, hoarding is having but not using. Just say “NO!” to hoarding!
4. Give it away: Break the stronghold of things over your life and over the next seven days whenever someone compliments you on something… give it to them. (For instance- if it’s an article of clothing, clean it and then give it to them; if they compliment you on your purse or necklace… empty it out, take it off and give it to them). My only exclusions are wedding rings, family heirlooms (although I think that all my family who’ve gone on to glory are shouting, “Give it all away!) There is great freedom in releasing your grip on stuff. Try it… you just might love the freedom so much you won’t want to stop!
If you haven’t already read The Treasure Principle – by Randy Alcorn, you might want to pick up a copy. It’s a keeper that you’ll read and reread forever. I think it will really bless you.
…you are greatly and dearly loved by the King!
PS: If you missed the lesson, be sure to listen online!