What was it that Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34?
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
This is a question for you: What is your treasure? Or, what is really important to you? Some may already know the answer to this question straight away, whereas others may need time to consider it carefully as to what it actually means to them. And there will also be others who will ignore it for as long as they can, mainly because they don’t consider this relevant or important enough to think about.
This is a question that all of us have to give serious thought to and answer truthfully .Why? Because our eternal futures depends on the correct answer being given, and seriously, there is only one right answer to this question—if we want what Jesus has offered to us.
This is not like a game show host asking you a difficult question and then you win a prize like a brand new dishwasher or freezer. This is not something that you can pass off flippantly with a shrug of the shoulders or with verbal responses such as: Whatever, not important or I’ve got other things to do at the moment, maybe later.
You should not pass this off at all, because nobody knows what might occur in life. All sorts of terrible things are happening to people that are so sudden and final. There may be no tomorrow for some, so yes, it is a very important question for all of us to give serious thought to it while we still can).
As human beings we are the only species on the planet to be set apart exclusively from the rest of creation, to be given this rather unique and special ability of free will; to be able to perceive and make decisions on our own utilizing some wonderful heavenly attributes that God has made available to us all such as: Wisdom, patience, mercy, understanding, compassion, forgiveness and love, just to name a few.
We are able to consider all sorts of matters that come before us both small and great, and then make judgments on those matters, just as our wonderful Father in Heaven originally had the ability to make judgments that come before him as well.
Even Satan, the serpent in the Garden of Eden when talking with Eve, did say in Genesis 3:5:
“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
He was manipulating Eve into giving serious consideration that she and Adam could be like the Almighty, to be as gods, knowing good and evil. Eve was enticed by this, not realizing that this was indeed a very powerful choice that she was making. And Adam would also make that choice soon after with far reaching ramifications that would anger the Almighty greatly. And as we all know now, had terrible consequences for all of creation from that point on.
The way that Satan put this before Eve was very crafty, he virtually waved it in front of her, enticing her with the “prize.” He put it within her reach, to take it with a simple choice. This is exactly what Satan has always sought after and worked toward from the beginning. To sow as much discord and chaos amongst the creation that he could possibly do with free choice, to deceive and entice as many as he could get his hands on, so they would die in their sins as well, again by their own free choice.
It is fair to say that for most of us, our own common sense levels in life are supposed to get better with age as we grow older, and we learn from our mistakes by remembering our own personal experiences. A young teenager for example, might have little or no wisdom dealing with certain issues, compared with an older more experienced person who has already dealt with those same issues in the past.
If for example, somebody chooses to participate in an extreme sport like Windsuit Flying, essentially, what they do is put on a birdman type outfit with a parachute and jump off high structures like tall skyscrapers or towering mountainous formations. They swoop downward at well over 100 MPH, and fly really close to these lofty structures on the way down to the ground.
All it takes is an error in judgment or a sudden gust of wind that can’t be seen, and the participant can be dead in seconds (or at the very least seriously injured), and sometimes with life changing consequences that will ultimately affect his or her family as well. Sadly, these risk takers forget about how it will affect them too when serious injuries or death occur.
They know, or should know that potentially they can and will sustain deadly injuries if they make a wrong move, but often they have already made up their minds that the risks are worth it. this is because they are always looking for that adrenalin rush by doing dangerous activities like extreme sports.
They have already used their free will in weighing up the risks relatively quickly, and then justify their decision by saying , “A hell of an experience awaits me man, I’m just going to do it.” Remember this, our free will is a very powerful thing. We can potentially live or die on what choices we make.
Jesus said in Matthew 4:4:
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
And also in Matthew 6:33:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
These two verses are the key to this very important question at the top of this article. It is
precisely because we are flawed and imperfect by our sinful natures, that we really do need the guidance and patience of Jesus when we make our choices in life, because everything in and of this world was delivered cleanly into the hands of Satan with the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
For everyone here who does not have “the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness,” that is Jesus, as his or her personal treasure, Satan already has the upper hand. He can and will tempt anyone into doing whatever he so desires, ensnaring and trapping them easily, with the pleasures and distractions of this world when they least expect it. We must have a Lord-focused viewpoint in our hearts, no question about it.
The stark reality for all of us is this: The further that we are removed and the longer we spend away from the presence and source of where these wonderful attributes come from (that is wisdom, patience, mercy, understanding, compassion, forgiveness and love), that originates from our Heavenly Father, the more we will spin off aimlessly into oblivion—lost and without hope.
We truly cannot stay away for long from that which is perfect without terrible consequences. We all need to spend every single moment close to our Creator through his son, because he genuinely cares for us and wants to hold us close, as a loving father does to his beloved children.
If that doesn’t bring tears of gratitude to your eyes, then nothing will.
[Jesus said,] “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
These are powerful and comforting words that say to all of us who have gone through our own personal suffering, that Jesus has already overcome the world on His own, through his own blood, sweat and tears. Jesus Himself went through the greatest temptation that a human being could ever endure successfully, and was crucified and raised from the dead for our benefit, so we could walk with him, in the presence of God without blemish.
He has personally defeated Satan’s plan. This means that he can and will help us through anything or anyone that Satan can throw at us, if we ask Him. We must learn to depend on Jesus for everything we need; in good and bad times—so we can be victorious against the powers of darkness.
Remember, when you are down and vulnerable, Jesus will help you up onto your feet with love and a smile in his heart. Whereas the world will kick you in the head while you are down and spit on you with all the venom of a poisonous snake.
Yes, the consequences are indeed too terrible to consider otherwise.
There are so many different things of this world that can potentially capture and enslave us and suddenly throw us off guard unexpectedly at some point in our lives. We must learn a valuable lesson from the One who has walked every hard step on this earth (with a burning desire to fulfil his Father’s will). His attributes such as compassion, mercy and forgiveness are available for everyone who sincerely asks for them. Jesus has personally experienced the painof a world groaning under the terrible weight of sin.
This message is for those who know that they have a serious problem with something evil in their lives or someone that they have been caught-up with; perhaps it is a obsession that they crave for every day, or an activity that has brought out the worst in them. Something that they have been able to keep hidden for many years from their family or loved ones.
It may be a destructive way of life that some are heavily involved in and so obsessed with, that it is the last thing they think of when they go to sleep, and the very first thing they think of when they awake form sleep. Something that they are very much ashamed of but don’t know how to stop.
The bottom line is this: If you are really serious about getting out from under whatever it is that has you trapped, all you have to do is put Jesus first at the top of your life. You can make Jesus your treasure right now, it is as simple as that. You only have to want to do this and Jesus will take up the fight for you, so you can and will be victorious through your darkest hours.
You will be victorious if you genuinely move the crosshairs of your heart from whatever it is that has you by the short and curlies, and lock it firmly onto the crucified and risen One, and His hard fought victory will be all yours by His grace.