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
Why is it so hard for us to keep our focus heavenward? Why isn't it the case that as soon as we profess belief in Jesus Christ, we can suddenly overlook the troubles of this world and build up our heavenly storehouses? Why is it so easy for us, like Peter with the waves crashing around him, to take our eyes from the Prize - that is Christ - and to put our dependency on the tangible things surrounding us?
It is my firm belief that we stray so far from straight and narrow at times because we've never seen, touched, or experienced in any way the treasures of heaven that Jesus promises. What have we experienced? Accolades from Man. What does that entail? We get our name in the paper. We have books written about us and movies portraying how we rose from the ashes to climb the ladder of success. People covet our autographs and desire to get their picture with us; people we've never even met and have a 99.99% chance of never seeing again.
It is an issue of trust.
It was lack of trust in Jesus that made Thomas doubt the reports he had heard of the resurrection. Jesus revealed Himself to Thomas, but here's what He said, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." ~ John 20:29 Who is blessed? Those who believe in Christ - that is, putting their trust in Him - without physically seeing Him. It is because of their trust that they believe, and it is because of a lack of trust that we stray from the path set before us.
When we were little, my siblings and I were forbidden to ask "why," when Mom or Dad asked us to do something. We wanted the reasoning behind it, but they required obedience; immediate obedience with no questions asked. Oftentimes certain things they'd ask us to do wouldn't make sense to our young minds, however, we had no choice but to trust that Mom and Dad knew what they were talking about. It wasn't until much later, when we matured a bit, that things began falling into place, making perfect sense.
I desire to be a disciple of Christ that trusts Him so much that I'd be willing to do anything for Him, no questions asked. I have to understand that I don't always get to know the why behind a situation, but that I just have to do it because it is what He requires of me. It's not going to be easy, but I'm told the reward is worth it. :)
Why is it so hard for us to keep our focus heavenward? Why isn't it the case that as soon as we profess belief in Jesus Christ, we can suddenly overlook the troubles of this world and build up our heavenly storehouses? Why is it so easy for us, like Peter with the waves crashing around him, to take our eyes from the Prize - that is Christ - and to put our dependency on the tangible things surrounding us?
It is my firm belief that we stray so far from straight and narrow at times because we've never seen, touched, or experienced in any way the treasures of heaven that Jesus promises. What have we experienced? Accolades from Man. What does that entail? We get our name in the paper. We have books written about us and movies portraying how we rose from the ashes to climb the ladder of success. People covet our autographs and desire to get their picture with us; people we've never even met and have a 99.99% chance of never seeing again.
It is an issue of trust.
It was lack of trust in Jesus that made Thomas doubt the reports he had heard of the resurrection. Jesus revealed Himself to Thomas, but here's what He said, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." ~ John 20:29 Who is blessed? Those who believe in Christ - that is, putting their trust in Him - without physically seeing Him. It is because of their trust that they believe, and it is because of a lack of trust that we stray from the path set before us.
When we were little, my siblings and I were forbidden to ask "why," when Mom or Dad asked us to do something. We wanted the reasoning behind it, but they required obedience; immediate obedience with no questions asked. Oftentimes certain things they'd ask us to do wouldn't make sense to our young minds, however, we had no choice but to trust that Mom and Dad knew what they were talking about. It wasn't until much later, when we matured a bit, that things began falling into place, making perfect sense.
I desire to be a disciple of Christ that trusts Him so much that I'd be willing to do anything for Him, no questions asked. I have to understand that I don't always get to know the why behind a situation, but that I just have to do it because it is what He requires of me. It's not going to be easy, but I'm told the reward is worth it. :)
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