Tag: Treasures

Devotionals

Guard what has been entrusted to you           

Loring Schultz

“O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.” 1 Timothy 6:20-21 NASB

Photo by David Bartus on Pexels.com

What treasures have you been entrusted with? Those of you blessed with children have those precious jewels placed in their trusting care from God. Those who work in financial institutions have large sums of money entrusted to them.  Those who serve in law enforcement have the safety of the lives they protect and serve entrusted to them. And those of us who are Christians have the treasure of the Gospel entrusted to us.

The apostle Paul instructs his son in the faith, Timothy, to guard the treasure which had been entrusted to him, the life giving message of Salvation. Timothy was instructed to guard or keep watch over the presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ against the false teachers of his day.

Just as Timothy had false teachers in his day, we also have false teachers in our day who distort the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to guard and keep watch, “through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us” the True Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. And we can use Jesus’s own words:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life……….I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (Jn.3:16, 14:6 nasb)

We have been entrusted with the most valuable treasure known to mankind. May we realize our responsibility and guard what has been entrusted to us!  

Devotionals

What are your treasures, and where are you storing them?     

Loring Schultz

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

Photo by Alex Hudson on Unsplash

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount address many topics such as, one’s attitude towards a brother, adultery and divorce, retaliation, love, prayer and fasting, judging others, and the golden rule. Jesus was also concerned with what we do with our money, and He expressed that in teaching us about the treasures we accumulate. Our treasures come to us mostly through our use of money. What are we investing in and accumulating on this side of heaven. Can we name them? Are they obvious and evident for all to see where our heart is? Let’s take a closer look at this.

First, our treasures need not only be material things bought with money. Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Mt.6:21 nlt) Here’s one example, your treasure may be the accolades you received over the years for your accomplishments in your field of expertise. Dwelling on these will lead to pride failing to give God the glory. This would be what Jesus refers to as ‘storing up treasures here on earth’ and not storing them in heaven. You could have been an influence on others as they witnessed your work for the glory of God. Their lives may have been changed by your actions, storing treasures in heaven.  You see, it is not always money, but it is a large part of it.

So, what are your treasures today and where are your storing them? On the financial side, are you making investments in the kingdom of God, or is in this world in the here and now. Are you investing in people and using your successes to help those in need, for it is Jesus who said, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Mt.25:40 nlt) May we examine ourselves truthfully and know what our treasures are (what is important to us) and begin storing them in heaven. We may surprise ourselves in a good way or perhaps not, either way it’s a good exercise.