What You Treasure Is A Serious Matter

By Joe Chesser

 

    Jesus was never flippant when he spoke about what we treasure. Never! What we choose to treasure was (and is) always a matter of utmost importance. For example, Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered it up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13.44). Is Jesus saying that if we consider the kingdom of heaven our treasure, then we will with joy give up everything we have to in order to possess it? If so, I must ask myself if God’s kingdom is worth that much to me? Or do I treasure some other things that I am unwilling to give up? Things such as my time, my money, or other things I enjoy doing?

    How you answer these questions is a serious matter. It’s a matter of eternal significance. It’s a matter that determines whether you follow Jesus ... or not! In Matthew 19 there is a story of a young man who asked Jesus about eternal life. He was a good man, a religious man. He knew and had kept the commandments since his youth. But Jesus knew this young man’s heart. Jesus told him to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, and then follow him. If he would do that he would have treasure in heaven. It was decision time. Did he treasure his extreme worldly wealth or did he treasure the kingdom of heaven? Although it made him sorrowful, he still chose to keep his worldly wealth and leave Jesus behind. He had kept all the laws, but in his heart he treasured his money more than the treasure Jesus promised.

    It's not just what we do that matters. It’s what’s in our hearts, for our hearts determine what we treasure. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6.21). He also said, “The good person out of his good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6.45).

    These things are not new to you. You’ve read them and heard them over and over. But being familiar with them doesn’t make them less important. What you treasure is a serious matter. It is of utmost importance. We should never tire of examining and re-examining our hearts (2 Corinthians 13.5), because today we are being challenged more than ever to abandon what we once treasured to satisfy things of less importance. And we can’t blame COVID. It’s a matter of the heart. I am not attempting to judge anyone’s heart, but from what I’ve read in brotherhood publications and personally seen, the kingdom of heaven does seem to be less treasured among us than just a few years ago. Attendance is down, especially for the evening assemblies; congregations are closing their doors at an alarming rate; feelings seem to be replacing truth; evangelism is directed more and more towards what attracts people (services and programs) rather than lifting up the crucified Christ and teaching the gospel.

    However, only you and the Lord knows what’s in your heart. Only you and the Lord knows if you are willing to sell everything you have (Luke 14.33) in order to have treasure in heaven. Only you and the Lord knows to what extent you treasure His kingdom. My hope is that we all will seriously examine our own hearts to see if we truly treasure the kingdom of heaven enough to give it our all. My hope is that collectively the Lord’s people will “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6.33) and let everything else fall into place.

     “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered it up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13.44).

- Joe Chesser preaches for the Fruitland Church of Christ, Fruitland, MO.  He may be contacted at joeandareva@yahoo.com

The Best Things in Life Are Not Things

By Ron Adams

 

And He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

Luke 12:15

 

Things are items to be possessed and used. All of which will be left behind when life is over. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.

1 Timothy 6:7

 

What really is important in life? Relationships!

FRIENDS AND FAMILY

who share our interests, aims and woes.

Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.

Proverbs 27:9

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17

 

BRETHREN

who share a common faith, calling and hope.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!

Psalms 133:1

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

Romans 12:10

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:11

 

LORD JESUS

who we serve in this life in order to be with Him hereafter.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

Colossians 3:23-24

~~~~~~~

Remember: all relationships require maintenance on our part. Effort must be expended to sustain them: be friendly, love the brethren, serve the Lord.

Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

2 Peter 1:10-12

- Ron Adams publishes F.Y.C., a monthly publication. Bible references are from the NASB except where another translation is referenced. Back issues are archived at http://ra10ar.com Be thoughtful and kind. All rights reserved. © 2021

FIRE!

By David Bragg

    At 10:48 on Sunday morning, February 7, 1904, fire was reported near the heart of Baltimore, Maryland. The effort to bring it under control would eventually take 1,231 firefighters from Baltimore, surrounding communities, and even fire units from out of state. Each crew responding to the fire brought along their own equipment, primed and ready to assist. As these various units converged to tackle the rapidly spreading fire they stumbled over a nagging barrier that hindered their efforts: "the lack of national standards in firefighting equipment" (Wikipedia). Many of the firefighting units that responded to the disaster could offer little actual assistance because the couplings on their hoses didn't fit the connections on Baltimore's fire hydrants.
    When the fire was finally tamed over 1,500 buildings lay in ashes. Before long the National Fire Protection Association adopted national regulations requiring standardized equipment for all firefighting equipment, especially hose couplings and hydrant connections. The “Great Baltimore Fire” ranks within the top five of our nation’s greatest fire disasters.
    Just as we rely on standardization to make life easier, God recognized the same need long ago. While some bristle at any restrictions, we need the dependable guidelines God’s word provides. These provisions carry the promise that, if embraced and adopted, our life will be more meaningful and our eternal life enjoyed in the presence of God. Jesus spoke of this when He said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Most importantly, you will avoid the FIRE!

 - David Bragg serves as one of the ministers at the Northwest Church of Christ in Greensboro, NC and is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.nwchurchofchrist.com/ or his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/

Number Your Days

By Larry Pasley

     What are some of your favorite TV shows? What did you watch as a child? What do you watch as an adult?
     Between entertainment, news, sports, and education, the average person in the U.S. watches about 5 hours of TV each day. This averages out to about 9 years in one’s lifetime. The statistics regarding children and TV viewing are also staggering. Did you know that by the age of 18, the average child had seen 150,000 violent acts on TV? In a year a child has watched 16,000 30-second commercials. And, when asked if they would rather watch TV or spend time with their fathers, about 54 percent of children between the ages of 4 and 6 chose TV. For most of us, 9 years will be more than 10 percent of our lives. With that amount of time, Michelangelo could have painted two Sistine Chapels, John Milton could have written two Paradise Losts (which he did blind, by the way), and Lewis and Clark could have trekked North America four times over again.
     Author Malcolm Gladwell writes that it takes 10,000 hours of practice for someone to become an expert in their craft. That would be over one year of nonstop practice. Imagine becoming an expert in nine different things in the amount of time you watched TV
     TV is not bad. It is often beneficial. But, it is one example of how people often find unproductive things to occupy their minds.
     I know how much you love Duck Dynasty. It is hard to part with the wisdom of Uncle Si. So, this challenge is not necessarily one to ask you to do so; this is a challenge to put the priorities God has placed in your life first and then kick back with the Robertsons later.

WHERE TO TAKE THIS
1) Use your time wisely: Ephesians 5:16-17 says, “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” As the body of Christ, let us not become complacent, idol, or indifferent. Let us be wise with our time and recognize the important things. What is your art? Don’t let laziness allow you to sacrifice the masterpieces that God is wanting to create through you.
2) Perspective on time: In psalms David asks God to “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” When we understand how much time we truly have in this life, we become aware of the urgency of the calling God has placed in our lives.

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     We should ask ourselves, are we neglecting something more important while sitting in front of the TV set? Imagine how we could be spending this tie doing the work of the Lord, visiting the sick, shut-ins, the lost, wayward brethren, those who are weak spiritually etc.. Is this time we should be spending with our children or other family members? Is this time we should be spending with our mate, improving our relationship? Is this time we should be spending in the Word of God, growing spiritually? Is this time we should be spending doing good for those around us? May we number our days and ask ourselves if we are accomplishing the things which are most important with our time.

- Larry Pasley serves as a minister with the Jackson Street Church of Christ in Alexandria, LA. He may be contacted through the congregation's website at http://www.JacksonStAlex.com 

Putting First Things First

By R. W. McAlister

    Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” This may come as a shock, but most of us fail to do this! Why? Because instead of seeking God’s kingdom first, we’re spending our time wrapped up in the cares of this world! Have you ever considered that if this one passage were followed to its proper conclusion, it would revolutionize the church in all its phases of activity? If we sought first the kingdom of God in attendance, we’d be here every time the doors opened if physically possible! If we sought first the kingdom of God in evangelism, every baptized believer would be speaking the truth in love to every lost soul he or she encountered! If we sought first the kingdom of God in our giving, the church treasury would be overflowing! If we sought first the kingdom of God in edification and encouragement of our brothers and sisters in Christ, there'd be a lot more folks in the mold of Barnabas to build up and encourage our brethren!
    Perhaps the most common sin today is that of reversing the divine order of things; of making secondary things primary, and making primary things secondary. How many people do we or have we known who disregard the importance of attending evening services? Instead, they’re at work because they’d rather make a dollar, or they’re at home because they think their rest is more important and so on. They’ve made what should be a primary concern a secondary one. What about someone who holds back on putting money in the collection plate because he’s worried about finances? Well, he turned a primary concern, indeed an act of worship, into a secondary concern when he put personal finances ahead of worshiping God. It seems incredible that God, who made me, and gave His Son to die for me, should give me the option of saying what place HE shall occupy in my life.
    If we’re going to be pleasing to God, we each have some “first things” to do. We have to seek the kingdom first, then all of the things we need will be added to us. Seeking the kingdom first means becoming part of it and putting it first in our lives (I Peter 3:21, Matt. 6:33).
    The second thing we have to do on our list of “firsts” is to keep our lives right with God so we can teach others. Matthew 7 verse 5 tells us: “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”
    We have a responsibility to make sure our brothers and sisters are walking in the way they should (II Thess. 3:15), but no one will ever listen to us until they can see that we’re concerned about the sin in our life and that we’re trying to get rid of it. No one likes a hypocrite.
    The final thing we must do is to follow Christ before all others. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Our Savior also tells us in Revelation 2:10, “…be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Our dedication to the Lord must come first, before all else. We have no right to tell or expect someone to follow a leader we’re not faithfully following ourselves, and friends, people are very critical and they’ll know if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ.
    If you need to reorganize your priorities, why wait any longer? “Why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins…” (Acts 22:16).

- R. W. McAlister preaches for the Anna Church of Christ in Anna, IL.He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.annachurchofchrist.com/