Generous Treasure

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." This is such a powerful statement by John Piper and one to truly mark our lives by. The depths of this statement reach into our hearts and minds and draws out questions. Can I truly say that God is being most glorified in me? Am I really satisfied in God? This world makes hundreds of offers each day. Every offer seeks to bring about satisfaction or gratification.

Have you ever noticed that the commercials on TV or on the side page of Facebook are geared toward catching your interest? Have you noticed that they seek to persuade you that you need "this" thing or "that" thing to be satisfied or happy? On Facebook, they track what you post about, the pages that you like, and probably way more things than we realize. What do these things say about you and I?

The current sermon series from church is about being generous and we discussed that last night in our life group. One of the greatest indicators of what satisfies us and what our heart desires is to see where our money, time, words and deeds are spent. Jesus said "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and 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 will be your heart also.”

This is an assault on the views of our society and culture where we are told to look out for number one, me! We ask those having marriage troubles, “are your needs being met?” “Oh they’re not, well they don’t deserve you.” We focus on ourselves and we tell others to focus on themselves. We neglect the very words of truth that give life! Jesus didn’t give us this so that we would live a less fulfilled life, he gave us this because he wants us to live the most satisfied life we can. His life is the example we all should follow. He gave up his seat at the right hand of God, his kingdom, his power, and humbled himself to become like us. He lived the life we could not live (sinless) and exchanged it for our extremely sinful life.

One beautiful picture of this is of a father or mother teaching their child not to do something because it will hurt them but showing them the right way to use something. “Don’t touch the fire, it will burn you”…”use the fire this way and it is good and beneficial to you”. Such are the commands of our heavenly Father. This brings into question our belief in Him and what He has told us in His Word. As we approach Christmas and begin to get gifts and give gifts, let us remember not to store up treasures here on earth but to store up treasures in heaven. The encouragement that Jesus gave is not to deter us from giving or receiving but to give with eternal purposes in mind. If we give a shirt as a gift, it will eventually rip or tear, our shoes will wear thin, and even our earthly lives will end.

The time we have on earth can be fulfilling when we find our satisfaction in God alone. The beauty is that God’s commands and instruction bring about fulfillment in us. Marriage for God’s glory is immensely fulfilling. Marriage for your own satisfaction will crumble. Raising children for God’s glory is fulfilling (not easy), raising children for your own glory is destructive. A personal faith is fulfilling for a time but a personal faith that is shared brings immense pleasure and deeper knowledge of God. Jesus did not come to build a material kingdom he came to build a kingdom of people. He commanded us to go and make disciples not as a duty but as a joy. May we look to His Spirit, which is in us to lead and guide us. We cannot do this in our own strength, which is why he gave us the promise that ALL authority in heaven and earth has been given to him. Let us seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Feelings or Faith

Things have been burdensome lately. One of the things that I have struggled with in my walk with the Lord has to do with feelings and faith. So often our culture focuses on how we feel about something. We use our feelings as the deciding factor on so many things from politics to our personal faith in God. Our filter on life cannot be based on how we feel because our emotions portray a distortion of what the truth is. This I know from first hand experience but also because I have observed it destroy the lives of many. What we do when we act and react to life with feelings does not just affect us, it affects those we are around. As a believer this is why we are commanded to love each other. We cannot in our own strength respond in faith, hope, and love which is why we need the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12:1-3).

I have been reading in Romans 12 and 2 John today and what they both have been speaking to is the life of a Christian and what I have noticed is how the consistent appeal is not to feelings but to faith...but faith not as we so often think but faith that has action. Consider what Paul is telling those in Romans 12:1, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Does he take them first to how they feel? No, he takes them to the character of God, "the mercies of God". Then he takes them to how to respond to this truth...sacrifice as worship.

In 1 John 5:1-3, we find John going to belief in Jesus and love of God the Father as an evidence of being a child of God. John continues in describing our knowledge of God by actions of love, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." He also gives us the promise that God's commands are not burdensome. Isn't this the opposite of what we think? This plays itself out in our lives in so many ways. How often do we despair because things aren't going the way we feel that they should? Don't we find ourselves complaining and whining about our circumstances? I know that I do and I have to repent of that sin in my life. But the glorious joy we can have is that Jesus paid for those sins and even more powerful that he overcame them when he rose from the dead! Thank the Lord for his overwhelming grace and his Spirit that we can call to when we need wisdom and strength (when I am weak, he is strong).
I've been going through what seems like a relentless cycle of the need to feel independent...that I can do things in my own strength and in my own understanding. That is a recipe for disaster (lean not on your own understanding). When I operate on my own I am alienating the body of Christ and even the Holy Spirit. God has given us the Church as a way to encourage and strengthen us. Many see the Church in an unhealthy way, and I have been there but by God's grace and the Spirit's work, I am seeing the beauty of the brokenness in the body of Christ. When we are commanded to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, we aren't left with a vague picture of what that looks like, we are left with a clear picture. Listen to Paul's words:
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

May the Lord continue to grow in us a faith that is sure and founded upon His Word. May we be obedient to what he commands and not fall prey to our feelings. When we do fall, may we repent. Most of all, let us glorify God in our love for him and our love for others.