LAYING UP YOUR TREASURES IN HEAVEN - PART 1

SATURDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2022

This topic is a powerful advice from the Master, our Lord Jesus Christ, that can afford us higher-yielding benefits and divine safeguards. And I'm going to start the exposition by introducing and exploring the depth of the mind of Christ regarding His words in the Scriptures below, bearing in mind that Christ is full of inexhaustible inspiration when it comes to wealth and abundance.

Reference: Matthew 6:19-21 King James Version (KJV) "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

There are two sides to the thought of the above Scriptures and one side is that part of the very existence of born again Christians in this world is to acquire earthly treasures for Kingdom purposes. The other side of it is to place their hearts on the Kingdom of heaven. In other words, if you are born again, know why you are here on earth and make the most of it, in line with the intelligence of the Spirit of God, and according to the principle which Christ has revealed to us in the above Scriptures.

Again, understand that if you are born again, you belong to another Kingdom, which is the Kingdom of light, and Jesus is the head. In accordance with this truth, Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (ESV). Also He acknowledged that we are not of this world. This is found in John 17:16 (ESV): "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." Why? Its because He chose and called us out of the world into His marvelous light. And it's not just a Kingdom of light, it's a Kingdom that runs a superior government. This is noted in Isaiah 9:6 which reads, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (NIV).

Now watch this: If Jesus actually said: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...", it means that He believes in your prosperity and He is interested in the security of your earthly possessions. Simply put, your acquired treasures need suitable trusted storage.

Beloved, Jesus' desire is for you to make it big here on earth, and lay up silver and gold as much as you can, by making the best endeavours for it, according to the power, our heavenly Father, the Almighty God, has given you to accomplish wealth. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, "You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day" (ESV). Also in Isaiah 45:3, God made reference to the hidden treasures of darkness and riches stored in secret places. It actually reads, "And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name" (NLT).

Our Lord Jesus Christ is very rich in grace, and based on the Word of God, we can discover the hidden treasures of His grace. As the Master, He is a great teacher, wonderful counsellor and accurate wealth adviser, and in today's referenced Scripture, He is teaching us how to secure our profit and where to store our treasures safely because He is our protection and security, as well as the very foundation on which we are designed to build anything including wealth. Remember that He is extremely wise in the excellence of His counsel, in the dignity of His Lordship and in distributing the riches of His glory.

Therefore, in living our earthly life, we must develop a lasting taste for His counsels and desire to function at His biddings by doing what He tells us to do because He can never deceive us. Stay tuned for the real exposition coming up in the successive parts of this wonderful topic. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Ezekiel 28:4; Proverbs 11:28; Luke 16:11; Proverbs 15:6.

Exuberant Declaration: I am blessed beyond measure because of the revelation of Christ's counsel which I profitably apply for my all-round progress. Therefore everything that is consistent with the realities of Kingdom benefits is made available in my life, and I continually lay up my treasures in heaven which is substantially correct. Hallelujah!