Love the Giver, Enjoy the Gifts

As Jesus continued His discourse, He turned the attention of His comments to material things. The religious leaders at the time were in their hearts, lovers of money and possessions. In contrast, Jesus taught that any real, lasting treasure is stored up in heaven where it is safe, secure and of timeless value.

He elaborated on the point further stating that what are someone's foremost concerns reveals the condition of their heart. In other words, if they have truly been born again or not. There is a vast difference between enjoying the things the Lord provides and loving the things. First love and devotion must be to God above all else, however much or little that is.

Today we are living in a very materialistic world that is still affords many, many pleasures and a relative life of comfort. Imposing poverty on our lifestyle does not make someone righteous. The wealthy do not have to give it all away. However, they are accountable for what they do with it, how attached they are to it, and how much they are depending on it. More material things take more time to manage and maintain them. As time gets consumed by our wealth, our focus correspondingly gets drawn away from the Lord.

The Lord gives both prosperity and poverty. In both scenarios, real treasure is still in heaven.