By Russ Welch
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matt 6:19-21)
It is interesting as I was studying Matt 6 this morning, I was led to vs 19-21. This message is something the Lord has been speaking to me for the past 18 months in regard to our hearts and minds set on heavenly things and not on worldly. As I was studying I crossed over into some of my study notes from a year ago, where I had put AW Pinks commentary on these verses:
“We are now to enter the fifth division of our Lord’s sermon, and as we do it is well to remind ourselves afresh of His first and primary design in this important address, namely to correct and refute the erroneous views of His hearers. The Jews held false beliefs concerning the person of the Messiah, the character of His mission, and the nature of the kingdom He would establish. As unregenerate men their views were carnal and mundane, self-centered and confined to things temporal.” ~AW Pink
As I read this I thought of my trip to Keystone Heights Florida yesterday to do a termite job – This town at one time was beautiful with lakes all around it. Yet today many of those lakes have shrunk to mere ponds, some even have dried up. As I drove out-of-town I started counting the Churches, and saw that there are 12 + churches for a town whose population is only a little over 1500. Three of the Churches were big enough to house 1000 plus.
The word drought and temporal kept running through my spirit last night. And this morning as I awoke and the Spirit led me back to Matthew chapter 6 I saw it all laid out. So many today who call upon the name of the Lord have yet to allow their carnal ways of thinking be put to death.
Keystone Heights has a population of less than 2000, so why do they need so many Churches and not only that what a waste of money, the Lord’s money they have splurged that they could show the world they have the biggest and best. Temporal the Lord says, for these to shall burn. All are vanity of the worst case, mere stubble and hay.
We are living in a day when the hearts of men are fixed upon the things of this world rather than the things of heaven and we are seeing these things begin to be exposed. We see record amounts of Churches being sold do to foreclosures on their buildings. In Florida alone since 2010 there have been more than 270 Churches lost to financial loss.
Is God’s treasure chest on the decline? Is our Father in Heaven running out of money?
I do not think so. I can remember the one thing that Holy Ghost ingrained in me when we started the nursing home ministry Mighty Arm Ministries in 2005 and the ministry school in 2006, walk into the Fathers blessing. It was so powerful I told our board that we would never borrow or finance and part of the ministry and then ask the Father to bless it. No, we would walk into the blessings of the Lord, that which He had ordained.
It brings to mind what Solomon wrote in proverbs not just once rather 3 times:
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. (Prov 12:15)
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. (Prov 14:12)
There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Prov 16:25)
I said it several years ago and I say it again – We are in a season where the Spirit is pulling back the covers and revealing & exposing the naked things, the things hidden in secret which are not of the Fathers Will. Those places where the harlots have remained hidden in their whoredom, the untestable and blasphemies which are done in His House.We can see the Lord blowing a wind of holiness across the land which is blowing away the dust that has covered up and hidden His true purpose for His Bride in this and all other nations.
I could go on about what the Lord has shown me in regard to the spiritual drought, the illness that plagues His Church in this nation yet today I want to call upon our individual hearts. For these 2 verses are in regard to the Lord’s direct teaching to us firstly as individuals.
What captivates your heart today friend? Is it the treasures of heaven or the things of this world. What motivates you to work? Do you work simply to provide for your family, to pay for your house, cars and other luxuries of this world? Or are you driven to not only put food onto your table but to help put food on the tables of others as well?
I was speaking with a brother the other night in regard to the “Prosperity gospel” And I truly believe God does desire to prosper us, just not so we can attain the American dream, surrounding ourselves with the pleasures of this world. I pray that the Father would bless me with a Million dollars and the heart to go with it. For the carnal mind would confess it could never live in a one room home rather it desires pleasure and excess so give me a million dollar home. Me, I would rather have enough money to build a million homes for the homeless and the heart that is comfortable to live wherever the Lord calls me, even to a one room living space.
You will notice that the Lord end this message in verse 21 with:
“for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
So where is your heart today friend? Anchored to the things of this world or do you desire Jesus and Jesus alone?
For of you desire the things of this world, you have already received your reward which shall ultimately burn up. But O praise God for those who desire the Master and He alone, for none shall enter Heaven with out the Son and He desires that we come empty-handed with our hearts sworn to anyone or anything else save Him. For Jesus is the treasure that shall last for all eternity and if your hearts are fixed on anything else you will never be able to experience this treasure in Spiritual truth!
I can assure you that our Father in Heaven has not gone broke rather that much of the American Church has chosen the things of this world over the treasures of Heaven which have rendered many of them Spiritually bankrupt!!
I end this with one of my favorite songs which really brings home the message today:
Turn Your Eye’s Upon Jesus….
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Refrain
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!
Refrain
His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
Radical Disciples - A Remnant Revolution 