Showing posts with label Laying Up Treasure in Heaven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laying Up Treasure in Heaven. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

A Treasure That Endures


Recently I have been “mini-blogging” on Facebook (and “micro-blogging” on Twitter) about “laying up treasure,” based on Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where 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 your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-20).

Though I’ve written a series of posts about this in the past (see Laying Up Treasure in Heaven), bringing it up again allowed me to clarify a bit for a friend of mine who was having difficulty following what I was saying.

“Laying up treasure for ourselves” is about what we do with our money and resources. Jesus tells us to lay them up for ourselves, not on earth but in heaven. A lot of Christians think that means that, whatever they lay up in heaven, they’re not going to see it until they die and go to heaven — perhaps this is why my friend was having difficulty. But that is not what Jesus is talking about.

The sermon on the mount is essentially a manifesto in which Jesus announces the coming of the kingdom of God from heaven to earth, and how we are to respond to it. Notice the direction — it is not about us on earth going to heaven but heaven coming to earth. The kingdom of God, which we are taught to seek in Matthew 6:33, is the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven (as Jesus taught us to pray in the “Lord’s Prayer”).

So, when Jesus tells us to lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven, it is not for the sake of heaven. Heaven does not need it. Nor will we need it when we die and go there. Rather, it is for the sake of earth. That is, we lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven so that that the will of God may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This is a total reorientation of our lives and requires a shift in our thinking. As followers of Jesus, we are people of the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven that has been coming into the world ever since Jesus came. That kingdom is not where we are going to go someday; it is where we are from right now. Everyone who has received King Jesus the Messiah is a citizen of heaven. This is not future promise but present reality.

We are a colony of heaven on earth. We are not waiting to be air-lifted out, like the last Americans at the fall of Saigon, climbing the steps to the rooftop to be evacuated by helicopter. Quite the opposite, we are an insertion team, sent into the world to manifest the life and culture of heaven on earth. (I blogged about that last month — see A Colony of Heaven).

What this means, then, is that our money, our resources and everything in our lives are to be committed to and directed by heaven (that is, by God in heaven). It is about seeking the kingdom of God — the rule and reign of God on earth as it is in heaven — with our finances and resources. We are no longer to be directed by the way the world does things. Now we receive our instructions, our provision and, indeed, our whole life, from heaven.

So laying up treasure for ourselves in heaven is for the sake of the kingdom of God being revealed on earth. As we seek that kingdom, even with our finances, we will always have everything we need. That is the promise Jesus made in Matthew 6:33. We can commit ourselves and all our resources entirely to the will of God being done on earth as in heaven because God has committed Himself to take care of us fully and completely (see 2 Corinthians 9:8).

Laying up treasure in heaven is trusting in the economy of heaven (the provision of God) instead of the economy of the world. So it really comes down to who or what we love, trust and serve. That will determine where we lay up our treasure, and whether that treasure will endure.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Deposits in the Bank of Heaven

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:20)
How do we lay up treasure for ourselves in heaven? Or to put it in perhaps a more current mode, How do we open up an account with God and make deposits. The Bible gives us a few ways:

Giving to the Poor. As we saw in the last post, one way we lay up treasure for ourselves is by giving to the poor. “He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given” (Proverbs 19:17). There is a divine accounting that goes on, even the creation of divine obligation. When we give to the poor, God commits Himself to pay it back, and He will always do so with interest. When we give to the poor, we are laying up for ourselves treasure in heaven. Jesus told the rich young man, “Sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21).

Honoring the Lord with Your Firstfruits. Another way we also lay up treasure for ourselves by honoring the Lord with our possessions. “Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10). A barn is a storehouse, a treasury. When we give God the firstfruits — the first and best, not the last and least — of our possessions and increase, He causes our storehouses to overflow.

The Hundredfold Return. We also lay up treasure for ourselves whenever we give for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel. Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30). Not only is there a hundredfold return, but notice that we receive it “now in this time.” If the rich young man had obeyed Jesus’ instruction, sold his possessions and given to the poor, he would have received it back a hundred times over.

We find this same principle at work in the Old Testament, when Isaac obeyed the Lord and dwell in the land God show him, instead of going down to Egypt because of famine. “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous” (Genesis 26:12-13). Because he stayed in the land for God’s sake!

Partnership in the Gospel. Many people know the promise in Philippians that God will supply all our needs, but they often miss the context in which this promise is made.
Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19-20)
Notice the words “giving and receiving.” The Greek words behind them are terms used for accounting. Note also, “fruit that abounds to you account.” The Philippians had often sent financial assistance to Paul and his gospel ministry. Though they may not have realized it at the time, they were actually laying up treasure for themselves with God, and God was greatly pleased with their deposits. It is out of this context that Paul assures them, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Notice that Paul did not simply say, “and God,” or “our God,” or “your God,” but “my God.” For through their assistance they had become partners with Paul in the gospel ministry; they shared in a joint account with Paul.

Peter experienced this principle while he was still a fisher of fish. He partnered with Jesus, lending his boat as a pulpit. Afterward, Jesus told him to “launch out into the deep and let down you nets for a catch.” Peter obeyed and caught an astonishing number of fish, even though he had already toiled all night with nothing to show for it (Luke 5:1-11).

Ministering to the Saints. In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul was receiving an offering to minister to the saints who were in financial need, and offered this encouragement to give generously:
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-9)
Notice that there is an accounting going on here: As one sows, that is how they will reap. Sow bountifully, reap bountifully. It is in the context of sowing — of making deposits — that Paul assures them of an abundant return: Always having all sufficiency in all things, plus plenty more for giving to every good work. It is impossible to give to God without receiving more in return.

Give to the Lord in every way. Honor Him with all you are and have. You will be making deposits into a divine account and He will take care of you in all things, and the abundance of heaven will be manifest on the earth.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Banking on the Economy of Heaven

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where 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. (Matthew 6:19-20)

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life*. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

*Textual note on “eternal life” in 1 Timothy 6:19: Alternate renderings include “life that is truly life” (NIV), “that which is life indeed” (NASB and AMP), “life that is truly life” (The Message), “that which is truly life” (ESV). The difference is more a matter of variations in the early manuscripts than of differences in translation.
Many Christians think that “laying up treasure” in heaven is about providing for the next life—kiss it goodbye because you are not going to see it anymore in this one. But I don’t think that is at all what Jesus or Paul were talking about. Rather, I think it is about basing the provision we need for this life on the economy of heaven.

Note first, that we are to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. It is about the meeting of our needs. Second, in the Greek text of Matthew 6:19, the words “lay up” and “treasures” are forms of the same word, so that it literally reads, “treasure up treasures” (this follows the Hebrew way of saying things). Third, these words refer to a storehouse, so that it literally means “store up storehouses.” In 1 Timothy 6:19, the word for “storing up” is the same root word translated as “treasure” (as other versions show). Quinn and Wacker, in their translation and commentary on 1 Timothy 6:19, offer this interesting rendition: “Making their deposits in an excellent fund for the future” (Jerome D. Quinn and William C. Wacker, The First and Second Letters to Timothy: A New Translation with Notes and Commentary, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999).

Both passages speak of storing up storehouses for ourselves, but what is a storehouse and what is its purpose? It is a place where resources and materials are kept until they are needed. Having a storehouse is a prudent plan for the future. However, the future in view is not about when we depart this life and enter the next. We do not need to store up anything for that life, where everything has already been taken care of. It is in this life that we still experience need.

This was not a new concept, not even in New Testament days; it had long been a part of Jewish understanding. Compare the words of Jesus and Paul with these verses from ancient Hebrew writings of the Old Testament era.
Lay up your treasure according to the commandments of the Most High, and it will profit you more than gold. Store up almsgiving in your treasury, and it will rescue you from every disaster. (Sirach 29:11-12 NRSV)

Give alms from your possession, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. (Tobit 4:7-10 NRSV)
It was common in those days for people to store up their supply in jars and bury them in the ground until needed. The problem, as Jesus pointed out, was that such materials could become corrupted or stolen. Ancient Jewish wisdom, therefore, reminded people to hedge themselves against disaster and necessity by a very counterintuitive means: Giving to the poor. Those who give alms are, in the economy of God, filling up storehouses for themselves. God does not forget, but rewards those who do, taking care of them in their time of need.

The Scriptures speak similarly: “He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given” (Proverbs 19:17). When we give to the poor, we are actually lending to the Lord. That is, an obligation of debt is created, and God graciously allows Himself to be so obligated, as this Scripture clearly shows. When we give to the poor, we are opening up an account with God and making deposits. God honors that and commits Himself to pay it back, and when He pays it back, He always does so with interest.
Blessed is he who considers poor;
The LORD will preserve him in time of trouble
And he will be blessed on the earth;
You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness;
You will sustain him on his sickbed.
(Psalm 41:1-3)
Now, remember what Jesus said to the rich young man? “Sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21). But the young man went away sad because he had many possessions. He was banking on the economy of earth, trusting in his wealth and riches to care for him in the day of disaster and necessity. But if he followed Jesus’ words, he would have stored up storehouses for himself in heaven, and his goods would have done double duty; they would have provided for the poor, and for himself as well. No wonder Jesus said in another place that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Banking on the economy of heaven brings great returns and benefits.

Do not let the economies of earth intimidate or fill you with fear. Invest yourself heavily in the economy of heaven. Give freely to the poor, and God will certainly repay, especially in the time of need.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The Treasure of Heaven on Earth

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24)
One day a rich young man came to Jesus and asked, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life.” He was somehow sensing a lack in his life, a disconnectedness from God, from heaven, even from life itself.

Jesus answered him simply, “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He knew that was where the problem lay, as well as the solution the young man thought he was seeking.

“Which ones?’ the young man asked. Jesus named a few, notably, the ones that pertain to relationship with others (the Fifth through Ninth Commandments). “All these things I have kept from my youth,” said the young man, and yet he still knew that something very important was missing in his life.

Then Jesus gave this startling reply: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” The young man went away greatly saddened because he had many possessions. Or as some have wisely noted, his possessions had him.

You see, the real problem was that he was trusting in his possessions, looking to them to be his source and supply. But in doing so, he was breaking the very first commandment: “I am the LORD your God; you shall have no other gods before Me.” This young man’s wealth and possessions had become his idols, usurping the place of God in his life. He was banking on them, instead of on God, to take care of him.

The young man departed and we do not know whatever became of him. But consider what would have happened if he had done as Jesus had told him. He would have entered into eternal life, the zoe life offered by God, the life Jesus came to bring us in abundance. Not only that, he would have discovered that he could trust God to take care of him and be his source of supply. He would have been banking on heaven.

“You will have treasure in heaven,” Jesus said. What is a treasury? Simply a storehouse. What is the purpose of a storehouse? It is a place where you keep things until you need them. “Treasure in heaven” is not God’s way to keep us from the things we need in this life. Quite the opposite, it is how God preserves for us the things we need in this life. When we commit ourselves and our means to the kingdom of God and His purposes, thieves cannot break in and steal them, varmints cannot consume them, and rust, rot and mold cannot corrupt them.

Watch how it works: Jesus told the young man to sell what he had and give to the poor, and he would have treasure in heaven. The Bible says, “He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what He has given” (Proverbs 19:17). Perhaps the rich young man forgot this, but Jesus didn’t.

Now, here is an interesting thing about the Hebrew word for “lend,” lavah. It means to entwine or join together, as in an arrangement between two people. It is used of the relationship between a lender and a borrower. When we give to the poor, God makes a deal with us where we are the lender and He is the borrower. God always makes good on His debts. The Hebrew word for “pay back” is shalam, and in this arrangement means that He will reciprocate, recompense, and restore. And when God repays, it is always with interest.

If this young man would have sold what he had to sell and given out of it to the poor, he would have had an account with God in the bank of heaven. Then when he himself was in need, God would have repaid him handsomely. But his money and possessions had become his idol, and he trusted in them more than he did in God. And he went away sorrowful.

When we bank our treasure in heaven, God will meet our needs on earth.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Treasure in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where 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 your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Jesus is not just talking about what you do with your disposable income, the money left over after you have paid all your bills. He’s not making an appeal at offering time (though that is how many preachers use this verse). No, He is doing something far more reaching; something radical, in fact. He is getting down to the root of how we live our lives — our priorities and the things we value.

“STOP laying up for yourselves treasures on earth” (that is the force of His statement). There is to be no more of it — at all. Why? Because it does not last. It is easily corrupted and fades away quickly, and in the end, we will find that we have been robbed.

The Greek word for “treasure” is thesauros. The Septuagint, which is a very early Greek translation of the Old Testament, uses thesauros to translate the Hebrew word for “storehouse.” Jesus is literally saying, “Stop storing up for yourselves storehouses on earth.”

Now, it is also important to notice what Jesus is not saying. He is not telling us to stop laying up treasure for ourselves, for He goes on to say, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” He wants us to have storehouses, and God promises to “command the blessing” on the storehouses of those who honor Him and keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 28:8). Rather, it is the purpose of our storehouses that needs to change. We need to start operating in the purpose of the kingdom heaven, the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven. It requires everything we are and have, but it brings great reward, as Jesus shows us in this brief parable:
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44)
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, a storehouse full of wonderful things. But notice where it is hidden: “in a field,” that is, on earth. This treasury is from heaven, but it is on earth.

“Laying up treasure” all comes down to the heart, for “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” The priorities of your life and the things you value will be reflected in everything you do and all you have. Will they reveal the corruptions of earth, or the glories of the kingdom of heaven on earth?

Store up your treasures in the kingdom of heaven, and it will be a blessing on earth.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Laying Up Treasure: Heaven on Earth

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where 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. (Matthew 6:19-20)
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray “Your kingdom, come! Your will, be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). The kingdom of God is the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven.

A few verses later, Jesus tells us to lay up for ourselves treasures, not on earth, but in heaven. On earth, they are subject to loss, corrosion and theft. But in heaven, where the will of God is always perfectly fulfilled, there is not loss. The system of the world is to lay up treasure for ourselves on earth. People hide it in their sock drawers or stuff it under their mattresses, or put it into banks and various accounts, and then trust in it to meet their needs. Then when times are tough and the “rainy day” comes, they look to it to be their source and savior. Often, they discover that it is not adequate for the job; then they have to learn how to live with lack, or else barely squeak by.

The system of God’s kingdom, where His will is being done on earth as it is in heaven, is very different. Jesus tells us to lay up treasure for ourselves in heaven. Instead of trusting in our financial resources to meet our needs, He tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and all our needs will be met (Matthew 6:33).

Laying up treasure for yourself in heaven is seeking the kingdom of God and His will being done on earth as it is in heaven. It is all a matter of where you are placing your trust—on earth or in heaven. When we trust in heaven, we will see the kingdom, the will of God, and the treasure we have laid up there manifested on earth.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Storehouses: Being Rich Unto God

One day Jesus was preaching to the crowds, and said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possess” (Luke 12:15). Then He told this parable:
The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he though within himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” So he said, “I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’”

But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?”

So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16-21)
The problem with this man was not that he had storehouses. It was not even that he was laying up treasure for himself. The real problem is that he was not rich toward God.

God has already promised us that He would bless us in our storehouses when we honor Him with out possessions, and with firstfruits of our increase (Proverbs 3:9-10). That is being rich unto God.

The Lord Jesus had this to say about laying up treasure:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where 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 your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Notice that Jesus instructs us to lay up treasure for ourselves — but to lay it up for ourselves in heaven, and that is about the attitude of our heart. We are not to lay up treasure the way the world does. The world ends up loving, trusting and serving money, just as the fool in Jesus’ parable did. But we are to lay up treasure and use it for the purposes of heaven. That is being rich unto God.

The man in this parable thought wealth and riches were about using them to satisfy his lusts, so he said to his soul, “Take it easy. Eat, drink and be merry.” But James comment about unanswered prayer is also applicable here: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasure” (James 4:3). God does not give us the ability to create wealth so we can be selfish with it, but so we can use it to glorify Him and bless others.

Toward the end of chapter 4, James makes a comment that is very reminiscent of Jesus’ parable:
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)
Just like the fool in the parable, these whom James addresses have no regard for the purposes of God. Their plans and their profits are about their own arrogance, so their boasting, just like the boasting of the fool in the parable, is evil.

God gives us the power to create wealth so that we may be rich toward Him. When we have our hearts properly oriented toward Him, then God will be able to bless us richly in our storehouses, because He knows that we will be using it for the purposes of heaven. This is a vitally important issue because, where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Laying Up Treasure in Heaven

Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where 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 your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
This begins a section of Jesus’ sermon on the mount in which He teaches on the relationship between wealth and riches and the kingdom of God. This section includes the teaching on laying up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21), the difference between the “good” eye and the “evil” eye (Matthew 19:22-23), the teaching that you cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), about how God will take care of all our needs (Matthew 6:25-32), and the command to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33-34). It all goes together and shares the same context.

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus teaches us to not lay up treasure for ourselves on earth, but to lay them up for ourselves in heaven. And He gives use the key to what this means: “Where your treasure is, there you heart will be also.”

In other words, the whole question of treasuring — what we treasure, how we treasure it, and where we lay it up—is a matter of the heart. What is going on in your heart will determine what your treasure is all about.

Now, we know that there is no need, no lack, no want in heaven. Heaven is perfectly provided for in every way. Therefore, it does not need any of the treasure of earth. We do not need to try to crate up gold and jewels and earthly treasures and ship them up to heaven.

Heaven does not need the treasure of earth — but earth desperately needs the treasure of heaven. And that is why we are to seek the kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of heaven. We need it here.

That is why Jesus came, to destroy the works of the devil, redeem fallen humanity, and establish the kingdom of God on earth. When He began His ministry, He came preaching, “Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is here.” His teaching was about the kingdom, and His works of healing and deliverance were manifestations of the kingdom. Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus ascended to His throne in heaven, where He now rules over all, forever and ever.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come — and keep coming! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven — and keep being done!” (that is the sense of the Greek text).

Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God.” But we are not to seek it in heaven only, but on the earth. For the kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God, and the righteousness of God is His way of doing and being right. Everything is already set right in heaven by the rule and reign of God. Where it is really needed now is upon the earth. And that is what we are to seek — for the rule and reign of God and His rightness to be established on the earth. When we do, everything else will be fully taken care of.

So the kingdom of heaven is now here, and has been ever since Jesus came. Laying up for ourselves treasure in heaven is to be understood in the context of the kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of heaven.

Heaven does not need the treasure of earth; earth needs the treasure of heaven. If we merely treasure up for ourselves treasure on earth, neither heaven or earth will benefit from it. But when we treasure up for ourselves treasure in heaven, then it can truly become a blessing on earth, manifesting the prosperity of heaven to meet every need.

We are the people of heaven. We are in the world system, but we are not of it. Our new birth by the Holy Spirit is from above, our citizenship is in heaven, and we are seated — right now — in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. We are on the earth, but we of heaven, and therefore, uniquely qualified to bring forth the blessing of heaven to the earth.

We are authorized to pray for the kingdom of God to keep coming onto the earth, to call for the bread of heaven to be distributed on earth, to bind on earth what has been bound in heaven, and to loose on earth what has been loosed in heaven. We are of heaven, and we are bringing heaven to earth, by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So we are to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven so that it can be filled with the purpose of heaven and manifest the blessing of the kingdom of heaven on the earth.

It does not mean that we are not to have wealth and riches on the earth. Rather, it means that our wealth and riches must have the purpose of heaven. And that is a matter of the heart, for where our treasure is, that is where our heart is.

It is impossible for us to have our hearts in one place and our treasure in another. As Jesus said in this same passage, we cannot serve both God and mammon. Where one is, that is where the other is.

To lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven, we first need to settle the matter of the heart. We need to line up our hearts with the heart of God and the purpose of heaven, seeking the establishment of the rule and reign of God (a.k.a. the kingdom of God) on earth, just as it is in heaven. When we do that, then we will be able to direct all our wealth and riches towards that purpose.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Heaven Now

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:20)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
Growing up in church, and even in Bible college, I had the impression that these sayings about heaven were only for when I died. Yes, I was laying up treasure for myself, as Jesus said, but I didn’t expect to see one bit of it before I kicked off of this planet. Yes, I was blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies, but that was for later, not for now.

Now, perhaps that is what I was taught, or perhaps that was what I picked out by my own feeble understanding. I won’t blame my teachers and professors, although, looking back, there was an awful lot of that weak tea going around. But I will blame it on the deceptions of the devil.

It was supposed to be an encouragement to me to know that I had all these treasures and blessings waiting for me “in the sweet, by and by.” But other than that, they seemed to have no practical value to me in the mixed-up here and now. There was a saying that used to go around (and probably still does in some circles): “He’s so heavenly-minded that he’s no earthly good.” What we were meant to glean from that aphorism is that you better not be thinking about heaven too much if you want to get anything done on earth.

How utterly ridiculous!

I have since come to realize that, until I get my head firmly stuck in heaven and my mind solidly established in the spiritual realm, I won’t be able to accomplish anything at all worth keeping. Paul said,
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)
Heaven is precisely where our minds are supposed to be focused. Why? Because that is where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of the Father — and that is exactly where we are, hidden with Christ in God. Paul makes this even more explicit in Ephesians 2:4-6.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Think this through: God the Father is seated in heaven on His throne, where He rules and reigns forever. Jesus Christ the Son is seated there also by His side, where He rules and reigns forever. Not only that, but every believer in Jesus Christ has been made alive, raised up and is now seated together in Jesus in the heavenlies. If we are seated with Jesus (and the Bible says that we are), then we are seated on the throne with Him. And what do you do on the throne? You rule and reign. That is, we rule and reign with the Lord Jesus Christ — not sometime off in the future when we die or are raptured out of here, but right now. Today. This moment.

That is why we need to get our mind into heaven, to understand our identity in Christ, to understand the authority and power God has given us to make His kingdom known on earth.
  • The treasures we lay up for ourselves in heaven are not for the sake of heaven but for the sake of earth. We won’t need them in heaven, but we do need them here and now, to bring forth the kingdom of heaven on earth.
  • Every spiritual blessing we have been given in the heavenlies is for our use now, to fulfill God’s purpose through His people. The spiritual realm is not divorced from the natural realm, but is actually the source of the natural realm.
  • The prayer Jesus taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come. Will of God be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” is for now. If we’re going to call for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven, then we better be able to see what’s going on in heaven.
The kingdom of God is breaking through into this present age. Jesus said,
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. (Matthew 11:12 NIV)
The kingdom of heaven is not static, it is dynamic. It is forcefully advancing upon the earth. That is why we must have our focus firmly fixed on heaven, not because that is where we are going, but because it is breaking forth into our world.

We need to change our perspective. We are not the last team out, waiting for the Big Airlift to extract us from this old, sinful world. No, we are an insertion team, an advance unit heralding the kingdom of God, bringing the power and authority of heaven to bear on the problems of the planet and establishing the rule and reign of God on the earth. It is a “can’t lose” situation, for at the end of the book of Revelation, we see heaven and earth coming together as one. That is where all things are headed, but for the believer in Jesus Christ, heaven is now.

Friday, September 30, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ The Hundredfold Return

Then Jesus. Looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me” (Mark 10:21)

So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecution — and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30)
Both of these passages are part of the same Gospel narrative, found in Mark 10:17-31. It is the story of the rich, young ruler who came to Jesus asking, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life” (v. 17).

Jesus answered, “You know the commandments,” and listed the ones that pertain to our relationship with others. (He left out the first four, pertaining to God and the Sabbath, and the tenth commandment, which pertains to covetousness).

The young man answered, “I have kept all these from my youth.” That is when Jesus looked at him, loved him and said, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”

The was more than the young man could bare: “He was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (v. 22). He desired eternal life, but he wasn’t willing to lay up his treasure in heaven. Though he was a good and honorable man, he somehow missed the truth there is no eternal life without being established in heaven.

Eternal life is not simply about living a really long time (for eternity, in fact); it is just as much about a quality of life. Jesus spoke about this when said that He came that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). This is life indeed.

This young man wanted to have eternal life, but he wanted it to somehow originate from the earthly dimension. But as Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). To be “born again,” literally means to be “born from above” by the Spirit of God. But the rich, young ruler was not ready to receive that new birth, not willing for his possessions to be found there.
Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:23-25)
The problem was not that the young man had riches; the problem was that riches had him. He put more trust in his possessions than he did in God, and as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” When it came down to real choices with real consequences, the man chose his riches.
And they [the disciples] were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:26-27)
The rich, young ruler appeared to have the blessing of God on his life, and to a certain extent, he did. He knew enough of the covenant and received enough wisdom to prosper and become successful in so many areas of his life (although, as Jesus noted, he lacked on thing). If it was so very hard for this blessed young man to enter the kingdom of God, then how could the disciples ever hope to make it?

Jesus looked at them with just as much love as he had for the rich, young ruler, and said, “With men, it is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Not a very detailed answer, but a very hopeful one. It is not about us, our abilities, our achievements, our possessions. It is about God, His power and His promise.
Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” (v. 28)
Matthew’s Gospel adds, “Therefore, what shall we have?” (Matthew 19:27). Peter and the disciples had given up everything for the sake of Jesus and the gospel — they had laid up for themselves treasure in heaven, just as the rich, young ruler had opportunity to do — but what does all that really mean?
So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecution — and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30)
We learn several important things, in this passage, about laying up treasure for ourselves in heaven.

Laying up treasure in heaven is about following Jesus and leaving all for the sake of the gospel. It is no longer trusting in ourselves or in anything in this world. It is about living our lives in complete dependence upon Him.

Laying up treasure in heaven brings a hundredfold return. A hundredfold return is not 100%—that would simply be a one-fold return. A hundredfold return is 10,000%. What we receive is of far greater value than what we leave behind.

Laying up treasure in heaven brings the hundredfold return in this life. There are two ages now at work in the world:
  1. This present age, fallen into darkness and sin. The devil is the god of this age, seeking to blind the minds of people to the light of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). We are not to be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2).
  2. The age to come, which is already breaking into the world to swallow up the present darkness with the light of the gospel and the glory of God.
Many religious Christians think treasure laid up in heaven, and someday we’ll be able to go there and have access to it all — but not before then. In sharp contradiction, Jesus declares that the hundredfold return is for this time, this life, this present age. It is for our use as we seek after the kingdom of God, His rule and reign emerging to transform this present age.

Laying up treasure in heaven also brings persecution in this life. This is another reason why we know that the hundredfold return is for this life, for no persecution originates from heaven or the age to come. It comes from the god of this present age. But the resources we have in God are much greater than any persecution we could ever receive in this world.

Laying up treasure in heaven is laying hold of the eternal life we have in Jesus Christ. Through faith in Christ, we are already “born from above,” born of heaven and the age to come (John 3:3). We are already citizens of heaven and of that age (Philippians 3:20). We are already seated in Christ Jesus at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 2:6), a position of ruling and reigning. When we lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven, we are position ourselves to experience the flow of life of the age to come, even as that age breaks into the world in this present age.

When you lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, they are not at all lost to this life. No, they come back to you much more powerfully in this life as God establishes His rule and reign in and through you and me.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ Heaven Doesn’t Need It

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:20)
Jesus told us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Notice that we do this for our own sakes, not for the sake of heaven. Heaven has no need at all. In fact, heaven is the source for the provision of every need we may ever have. Jesus tells us to treasure up our treasure, not for the sake of heaven, but for the sake of earth. On earth is where we have all our needs.

This is completely upside down from the world’s way of thinking. If the need is on earth, the world says we should therefore lay up our treasure on earth. In this twisted view, storing up treasure in heaven is a waste. At most, it is something you do with what is extra, but surely not something you do with everything.

The truth is that heaven doesn’t need anything from the earth, but earth desperately needs what heaven has. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So we treasure up for ourselves treasure in heaven, not to leave it there, but so it may be blessed with the scent and substance of heaven, to bring forth the will of God on earth as it is in heaven.

What if you gave to the poor, or to the work of the gospel, or some worthy cause? Certainly that is treasuring up treasure for ourselves in heaven. Even those afflicted with the religious spirit understand that. The trouble is that most people only give to heaven instead of giving from heaven. But what if, whenever you give, you give it first to heaven, and then give it on earth to the poor, or the work of the gospel, or whatever you feel led to give to?

And what if you did that with all your resources? What if, whenever you had a bill to pay or a purchase to make, you first gave everything to heaven? Now it has the substance and power of heaven at work in it. If it is blessed in heaven, don’t you think it would be much more powerful on earth in bringing forth the kingdom of God? Are you ready to believe that you can extend the rule and reign of God on earth by paying your electric bill?

Jesus tells us to treasure up treasure for ourselves in heaven, not because heaven needs it, but so it can be blessed by heaven for the sake of earth.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ The Perspective of Heaven on Earth

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
Paul is talking about laying up treasure in heaven, the same thing Jesus spoke about in the Sermon on the Mount:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves 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 your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
The language of “storing up” and “laying up” is identical in the Greek. Notice, also, that both Jesus and Paul speak of laying up “for themselves” or “for yourselves.” That is, laying up treasure is something we do on our own behalf. We store up treasure for our own benefit. Paul calls it a “good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life.” Jesus calls it laying up treasure “in heaven.”

Because Paul references eternal life and Jesus speaks of heaven in these passages, many Christians assume they are not talking about this present life, but only about the life to come. That completely misses the point, for the treasure we lay up for ourselves has as much to do with this life as it does with the next.

When we treasure up treasure in heaven, we do not remove it from circulation in this life, we enable it to circulate in this life in a much more powerful way. As believers, everything we do from now should be done from heavenwhich is where we have received the new birth, where we have our citizenship, and where we are seated with the Lord Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father.

Why should we do anything from an earthly perspective anymore. We are to treasure up everythingnot just a portion, not just a tenth, but everything in heaven. Then whenever we have need on earth, we draw on the account we have laid up for ourselves in heaven.

Paul speaks of “laying hold” of eternal life. That is not the way we receive eternal, for eternal life is the gift of God through the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). We receive this gift by faith. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life” (John 6:47). Notice that it is a present possession whoever believes in Jesus has (present tense) eternal life.

When we receive this gift of eternal life, through faith in Jesus Christ, we have the right to draw upon it for the sake of this life.
  • Trusting in the Living God
  • Being rich in good works
  • Always ready to give
  • Always willing to share
Some ancient Greek manuscripts of 1 Timothy 6:19 have ontos zoes (“that which is life indeed”) instead of aioniou zoes (“eternal life”). We find this also supported in the Latin Vulgate, the Syriac and the Ethiopic versions. No matter which version we take, Paul is talking about that which is really and truly life the essence of life which comes only from heaven.

Paul warns the rich not to live their lives upside down; we are to live from heaven to earth, not from earth to heaven. When we lay up our treasure on earth, that is where our trust is. Our expectation is not set on the assured provision of heaven but on the uncertain resources of earth, which can be taken from us very quickly by any number of means. Self-sufficiency is not only arrogant, its foolish.

When you use your wealth, our talents, and all the resources of your life with the perspective of heaven, you will be living out of the overflow of the eternal life you have in Jesus Christ. He came that you might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10), and it is meant to be lived here and now.

Friday, September 23, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ Your Account in Heaven

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:20)

And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul revealed that heaven is also where our provision comes from. God supplies our needs according to His riches in glory--in heaven. Stop thinking of heaven as “up there,” as if it were in outer space. No, it is much closer to us than that and our relationship to it is very intimate.
  • Heaven is where we were born (John 3:3; “born again” literally means “born from above”).
  • Heaven is where our citizenship is (Philippians 3:20).
  • Heaven is where we are already seated in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6).
That is why Jesus tell us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. We lay up our treasures there, and all our needs are met from there. But notice that, although it is our treasure we lay up, it is His riches that come from there to supply our needs. It is a wonderful transmutation. Our treasure my not be anywhere near enough to take care of us in fact, it isn’tbut God’s riches in glory in Christ Jesus certainly are.

Not many people catch this, but Paul is writing to his partners, those who have been supporting him in ministry. Go back a couple of verses and see:
Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:15-29).
Jesus said, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” That is exactly what the church at Philippi was doing--laying up treasure for themselves by contributing to Paul‘s ministry. Now, notice that Jesus did not just say, “Lay up treasures in heaven,” but “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” In other words, we have accounts in heaven. That’s what Paul was talking about. “Giving and receiving” is the language of transaction and accounting, and Paul specifically speaks of the fruit, or increase, abounding to the account of the Philippian believers who partnered with him in ministry.

Whenever you partner with the ministry of the gospel, you are laying up treasures for your account in heaven. This account is not for you in the “sweet by and by,” but for the “here and now.” When you lay up treasure in your heavenly account, you can be very sure that God will meet all your needs according to His riches in gloryHis heavenly account by Christ Jesus.

Friday, September 16, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ Seeking the Kingdom

Therefore do not worry saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)
Worry comes from laying up treasure on earth. When we invest ourselves in thinking the way the world thinks, acting the way the world acts, believing the way the world believes, we end up worrying the way the world worries. We look to the world to meet our needs because that is where we have treasured up our lives. In our heart we realize how fickle the world is, and fear that it will let us down — and it always does.

But when we learn to treasure up our treasure in heaven, all the needs we have on earth will be met. We will have more than enough, so that we can bless others.

Laying up treasure in heaven is about much more than our money and finances. It is about our whole lives. It is seeking the kingdom of God, which is His rule and reign. It is seeking the righteousness — the rightness — of God, which is His way of doing and being right. It is eating from the Tree of Life. Consequently, the life of God flows forth into every area of our existence. Seeking all from Him, we receive all from Him, for He is gracious in all things.

Call for the kingdom of God to come, as Jesus taught us to do. Lay up your treasure — your life, your being and all you possess — in heaven. Then call for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. You will flow with the abundance of heaven in all your earthly affairs. You will not only be blessed, you will be a blessing.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ Only One Master

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)
There are three decisions we must make about the treasure of our heart.We must choose where we will lay up our treasure — on earth or in heaven. We must choose whether our eye will be evil or good, whether we will be greedy or generous. We must choose which master we will serve — God or mammon.

“Mammon” is an ancient word that refers, not just to money, but to the god of money. The Greeks had Plutus as their god of money. The Jews never formalized such a deity, but there were some who idolized money just the same.

We cannot serve both God and money. For one thing, God will not share His glory with any other — the First Commandment declares, “I am the Lord your God … you shall have no other gods before me.”

For another thing, our hearts are not made to be divided. If we try to serve both gods, we will end up loving one and hating the other. It is the source of great confusion in both the inner and outer realms of our lives.

It is not money itself, but our attitude toward that is the problem. Some people think the Bible teaches that money is the root of all evil, but what it actually says is that the love of many is the root of all evil (or all kinds of evil). Many people love, serve and put their trust in money for their welfare. They have made it their god. Money can be a wonderful servant, but it is a tyrannical master.

A rich young man came to Jesus asking, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (He did not realize that good works do not gain us eternal life — they flow out of eternal life.) After establishing that the young man had kept the commandments — the six out of the Ten Commandments that deal with loving our neighbor as ourselves — Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” The Bible says, “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (This account is found in Matthew 19:16-22.)

This man failed in the very First Commandment. He did not trust in God alone and love Him with all his heart. He had already made a prior commitment to the god of money. His heart was chained to his possessions. He affected a fine religious tone, but he loved and trusted in his wealth and was unwilling to truly put his faith in God.

He could have treasured up his treasure in heaven, trusting God with everything in his life and serving Him alone — and he would have been full of joy. Instead, he remained the slave of his money, laying up his treasure on earth, and went away full of sorrow.

Who or what will you love, serve and trust? It will determine where you lay up your treasure, and whether that treasure will endure.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ the Good Eye

The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23)
Jesus is not giving us an anatomy lesson here; He is still talking about laying up treasure. Just as we must choose where we will treasure up our treasure — on earth or in heaven, we must also choose whether our eye will be evil or good.

Speaking of the eye in this way, Jesus is using an ancient Hebrew idiom that describes whether a man is generous or greedy. We see an example of the “evil eye” in the book of Proverbs:
A man with an evil eye hastens after riches,
And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.
(Proverbs 28:22)
The man with an evil eye loves money. It has become his master and he trusts in it to see him through. But he does not realize that he is actually on the road to poverty and ruin.

We discover the source of the evil eye in the book of Deuteronomy:
Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart saying, “The seventh year, the year of release is at hand,” and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the Lord again you, and it become sin among you. (Deuteronomy 15:9)
The evil eye of stinginess starts as a wicked thought in the heart. The Hebrew word for “wicked” is belial and refers to that which is destructive, worthless, profitless. It does not add to the goodness of life but takes away from it. The man with the evil eye deceived to think he will profit by his greed. He will not even break even, but will lose all he has.

That is why Jesus said, “if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness … how great is that darkness.” He describes that darkness in another place:
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within and defile a man. (Mark7:21-23)
But enough of the evil eye; let’s talk about the good — that’s where the blessing is. Jesus said, “If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be light.” The Greek word used here for “good” literally means “without folds” or unentwined. It is simple, single, clear. The good, single eye, is not complicated by the greed of the evil eye. A man with a good eye is generous. He sows generously and reaps abundantly (2 Corinthians 9:6). Psalm 112 describes the blessing of such a man:
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
  Who delights greatly in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth;
  The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches will be in his house,
  And his righteousness endures forever.
Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
  He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
A good man deals graciously and lends;
  He will guide his affairs with discretion.

He has dispersed abroad,
  He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
  His horn will be exalted with honor.
(Psalm 112:1-5, 9)
This is a man who honors the Lord and follows His Word. It becomes light in his heart and he becomes light to all those around because he is full of grace and compassion. His generosity does not lead to poverty but to prosperity — wealth and riches will be in his house.

The greedy eye leads to lack, poverty, even destruction. The generous eye leads to prosperity and honor.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Laying Up Treasure ~ Where is Your Heart?

Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where 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 your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
The discipleship of the present world-system teaches us that we must sock away our treasure on earth if we want to be secure. But that is trusting in our riches and soon leads to our enslavement, for we become servant to whatever we place our trust in. Jesus tells us to stop doing it.

In the Greek, the text reads something like, “Do not treasure up for yourselves treasure on earth.” There is nothing wrong in having treasure; the problem is where we choose to keep it. Jesus tells us to treasure up our treasure in heaven. Then He gets to the heart of the matter:
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Your treasury can be a great blessing or a great disappointment. The key is the attitude of your heart. If you store up your treasure on earth and set your heart only on the things of the world, it will soon let you down. It makes a poor master and is not worthy of your trust.

Both your heart and your money were made for better things. God wants to do something powerful and world-changing through them:
And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers. (Deuteronomy 8:18)
The Hebrew word for “get” literally means to do, to make. In other words, God gives us the power not only to get wealth, but to create wealth. He does it for a specific reason: That He may establish His covenant. God has a covenant — all those who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ are a part of it — and He is in the business of establishing that covenant on the earth. Our ability to create and get wealth has the potential to bless the earth because it has the covenant-establishing purpose of heaven.

Some people think that laying up treasure in heaven is for when we die—then we’ll go to heaven and get to enjoy all the treasure we’ve laid up there. But that is not what our treasure is about. We will not need any of that treasure in heaven, for there is no need or lack there. We need the treasure here and now, but we need it to be blessed with the prosperity and purpose of heaven.
  • All those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ have been “born again” (John 3:3), literally “born from above,” that is, from heaven.
  • Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
  • Jesus authorized us to command the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
  • Jesus said, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).
  • Jesus said, “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19).
See the pattern? God is in the business of transforming the earth with the substance of heaven. Jesus tells us to treasure up our treasure in heaven because that is how it will change the world.

Treasure laid up on earth will lead to poverty. Treasure laid up in heaven will lead to prosperity on earth as it is in heaven. There are many ways to lay up your treasure in heaven, but here are a few ideas to help you:
  • Sow your tithe into the work of God’s kingdom. The tithe is a tenth, not the last and the least but the first and the best, of all your increase. God will not only bless that first 10%, but the other 90% as well.
  • Give generously to the poor and those in special need. God always honors that and will pay you back with interest.
  • Treat every financial transaction with godly integrity.
  • Pay your bills from your treasury in heaven. Invest some prayer and faith into the process and expect divine blessing to come upon everyone involved.
  • Be a good tipper. Let the generosity and prosperity of heaven direct you in prospering others even in this small way.
  • When prices increase at the pump, in the grocery store, in your utility bills or wherever else, don’t panic. Look to your Father in heaven and expect His prosperity to take care of all your needs.
  • Call for the kingdom of God—His rule and reign—to come and take over in your finances. Command His will to be done on earth, in and through your finances, exactly as it is being done in heaven.
  • Understand that your treasure is much more than your finances. It includes your time, your talents, and everything else in your life.
  • In all you do, discover the purpose of heaven and let that be your purpose as well.
Treasure up your treasure in heaven, for that is where your heart will be.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.