Treasure According to God

If we treasure and value what God treasures, we will be building our lives in such a way that we will not have regrets later in life!

Earthly treasure in competition with spiritual treasure

Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’  ‘Honor your father and your mother, and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

Jesus said to him, “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.”

But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Matthew 19:16-22

The rich young ruler must have known something was missing in his life but couldn’t put his finger on it, so he asked Jesus about it. Jesus knew that wealth was a stumbling block for the rich young ruler to give himself wholeheartedly to the kingdom of God, so that’s what He asked of him to give away.

Worldly riches have value and add comfort and provision to life. We don’t have to look down upon earthly riches, but the riches can’t own us or drive us in life.

A couple of years ago, I met a man named Charles Mulli. He became a millionaire in his early forties. He loved his wife and his large family, and they all lived in a large beautiful house very comfortably, but the call of God came upon him. The Lord put a burden and a passion in this man’s heart for orphans. He gave up his career to start an orphanage. 25 years later this man is unstoppable. He has a foundation called Mully Children Family that has touched the lives of thousands of kids in Kenya.

The riches Charles is gaining through saving the lives of those orphans are far greater than any riches he could accumulate in his investment portfolio! I wonder what the rich young ruler missed out on as he walked away sorrowful!?

In the book of proverbs it tells us,

The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22

Our priority is to have the hand of God and the blessing of God in our lives. That’s the true treasure. If we build wealth according to Biblical principles, it won’t cause any strife in us. The earthly treasure won’t lead to division in our homes or with those around us. If the Lord asks us to give generously, we are willing to do it because we know we can never out-give God.

Some riches bring sorrow with them because people go after the riches rather than following the finger of God in their lives. He knows how to bless us if we stay in step with Him and be obedient to our part, but having Him in our lives is always the greatest blessing!

God’s treasure is stored in us 

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 

2 Corinthians 4:7

Paul considered himself and all of us earthen vessels; another translation calls us “Jars of clay”. A jar of clay is frail and hollow inside. We are saints, ministers, and  ambassadors of Christ because of the treasure that He has placed in us through His spirit. He is our treasure and the one who gives us value.

Those of us who have walked with God for quite a few years, can take the treasure inside for granted sometimes. We may think it’s not a big deal that we can pray, encourage, empathize, prophesy, give, or witness for Christ, but none of those would have been possible if He wasn’t inside of us giving us the desire, the heart, and the ability to do them.

What do you treasure today? Do you treasure what God treasures?

 

For more information on Charles Mulli ministry, you can check out his website mullychildrensfamily.org.