From the Pastor’s Pen
According to legend, Saint Lawrence, the third century treasurer of the early church, was brought before the authorities, who demanded that he hand over all the church’s treasures to the emperor. Lawrence compliantly asked for 3 days to gather the treasures. He promised then to reveal to the Roman magistrate the extensive riches of the church. On the 3rd day, Lawrence appeared and brought with him orphans, the poor, the lame, and the widows in distress. Pointing to them, he said, “These are the treasures of the church. “ And for that reply, he was sentenced to death!
Jesus was preaching to a multitude of listeners in His Sermon on the Mount when He shared where our real treasures are. Jesus said not to be concerned with building up treasures on this earth which can be destroyed, lost or stolen. Instead we ought to focus on “laying up treasures in heaven” which cannot be destroyed, lost or stolen. Jesus made an amazing statement: “For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also.”(Matt. 6:21) What we spend our time doing most tells us where our priorities are and tells the story of our hearts. Our self-serving desires, our interests, and our personal plans and goals often block our vision to serving the needs before us. So we spend our time laying up treasures on this earth that evaporate like the dew on the grass with daylight. Meanwhile God invites us to join Him where He is already at work to invest in someone’s life with the love of Jesus. Because of our busy schedule, we squander the opportunity. I can’t help but think of the song by Ray Boltz – “Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed…I am so glad that you gave.”
What if we stepped out in faith and began a Bible study or prayer group at work? At school? In our neighborhood? What if we took our commitment to being a follower of Christ seriously? What if instead of taking a vacation we used that money to go on a mission trip? What if instead of talking and gossiping about people, we joined our hearts and prayed? What if we stopped just talking about church and started being the church? What if we began to pray “give me one more for Jesus”? What if we were to surrender our all to Jesus?
See you Sunday,
Preacher Eddie
