Are You Living For The Right Goal?
Life needs to be lived in pursuit of something. If not life tends to wander aimlessly and can be controlled by many different forces. Sometimes those forces are other people and what they think should be your goals and other times it can be Satan and the objectives he is trying to accomplish.
Life without a goal is much like a a boat without a rudder. In a sailboat it's the wind that is the driving force but to guide the ship in the direction of the captain requires the ship to have a rudder that the captain can control. If your life is the ship, and the Holy Spirit is the wind, and Jesus is the captain then your goals should be your rudder. It is vitally important that your rudder to submissive to the desires of the captain.
The rudder should never dictate and decide the direction but needs to be under the control of the captain. Having the correct objective that is in concert with the captains desires is vitally important otherwise one might find out to late they're chasing the wrong things.
Jesus had much to say about living your life with the proper goals and objectives. Jesus' desire was that we would live a fulfilled life. Let's take a few moments and read Matthew 6:19-24 and see what Jesus actually did say about it:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy,and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 'No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
WHAT SHOULD YOU NOT DO?
Don't Store Up Treasures Here On Earth!
In the old days people's source of worldly wealth was land, produce and cattle. The more land you owned, the more produce you grew, the more cattle you raised the wealthier you were. But today People's source of wealth is real estate, investment accounts, and business ownership. But weather it was yesterday or today Jesus' statement is still true! What did he say, "Do not store up for yourself treasures for yourself on earth ..."
In this passage Jesus is very clear that we are not to store up these kind of things and don't make them your life's goals. Don't live your life for these things! Don't make the obtaining of these things the overarching objective of your life.
Now notice that Jesus doesn't say that you are not to have them but he said don't store them up! Don't hoard them! Don't lock them away and keep them for yourself for some rainy day.
WHY NOT STORE THEM AWAY?
"... where moths and vermin destroy ,and where thieves break in and steal." (V. 19 B)
Why? Because they won't last! No matter how tightly you tuck them away or hide them - you will lose them!
1 of 3 Things Will Happen To Them
They Will Either:
- Wear Out!
- Run Out!
- or Get Stolen
- or run out!
Instead Jesus says,
Change Your Life's Goal - Change What Your Storing Up & Where You're Storing It Up!
"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (v. 20)
Why Store Up There? Because:
- It won't wear out.
- Run out.
- or get stolen
How Does One Store Up Treasure In Heaven? In order to answer that question let's take a look at a couple of Bible verses that will help our understanding!
"Jesus answered, 'f you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21 (NIV)
"Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourself that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." Luke 12:32,33 (NIV)
What Do We Learn From These Verses About Storing Up Treasure In Heaven?
That through our sacrificial generosity in helping others who are in desperate need God credits to our account in Heaven. This is not to say that we are working our way to heaven. No. We are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8,9) but we have been saved to do good works that God has determine beforehand.
THIS IS IMPORTANT TO HEAR!
The material blessings that God has blessed us with is not intended for us to hoard for our own pleasures but us to share with others who desperately need help. God intends that the overflow of our blessings is to drip into the cups of others who also need a blessing. God wants to use us to be the vehicle that blesses others.
What Might Happen If Were Not Generous And We Do Hoard The Blessings For Ourselves?
To answer that question let's look at a true story from the word of God that Jesus himself told found in Luke 12:16-21,
"And he told them this parable: 'The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 'Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, 'You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' 'But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 'This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
What might happen? If you chose not to use the wealth of this world that God has blessed you with to help others that are in need and if you chose to hoard it all for yourself then God might just take you out of the equation! Meditate on the question that is asked at the end of the story:
"Then who will get what you have prepare for yourself?"
Who? I think it will all end up to help those God always intended to help! The needly!
God has created you and blessed you so you can be a blessing to others who are desperate for a blessing. To the measure you are a blessing to others - will be the measure you continue to be blessed.