Where Your Treasure Is...,

They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.
2 Timothy 3:4, NLT

Why is it so tempting to “love pleasure rather than God”? Pleasure is something we can control; God cannot be controlled. Most pleasures can be obtained easily; love for God requires effort and sometimes sacrifice. Pleasure benefits us now; the benefits of loving God are often in the future. Pleasure has a narcotic effect; it takes our minds off ourselves and our problems. Love for God reminds us of our needs and our responsibilities. Pleasure cooperates with pride. It makes us feel good when we look good in the eyes of others.

To love God we must lay aside our pride and our accomplishments. Have you chosen to love pleasure, or to love God? How do you know? One good way to figure that out is to define our treasure, and then decide where we're storing it at. The Bible teaches that a man's heart is with his treasure, so abandon the treasures of this world that rust and decay, and store your treasure in Heaven.

What does that mean? How can I store my treasure in Heaven? The treasure that the writer was speaking of, are the things that will last forever. Things like feeding orphans, caring for the widows, visiting those that are sick or in prison. Jesus said that if you do this to the least of my brethren, you've done it unto me. I would say that counts as treasure stored in heaven.

My church uses a "logo" and a catch phrase, "Love God - Love People - Push Back Darkness." The other day a friend of mine asked me, "what do you mean by pushing back darkness? How do you do that?" Of course I gave him a very theologically correct answer that probably made absolutely no sense, however I'm sure it made me look really smart. The reality of it is the above paragraph. I wish my pride wouldn't always jump in front of me, then I would be a little more effective at "Loving God - Loving People - Pushing Back Darkness." Hopefully he will read this, and then have a better understanding of what it means to push back darkness. Don't get me wrong, it means other things as well, like evangelising in some of the roughest parts of our community.

It all comes down to this, are you more concerned with your 401K plan and your immediate comfort and security level than you are your relationship with your Heavenly Father? Think about this for a minute.., "What would it profit a man if he gained the whole world yet lost his soul?"

I watched a sermon online the other day on youtube. Francis Chan, one of the most dynamic speakers I've ever been privileged enough to listen to, preached a message called "Luke Warm and Loving It." I highly suggest you listen to it if you get the chance! It was life changing for me!

If you don't know Jesus, but would like to find out more about him, please click on one of the church links on this page. If you would like prayer or just someone to talk with, contact me directly; rlwhitener@gmail.com

Thanks for following along,
God Bless