Hold On

           
  "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4  
           
As human beings, this is all we know. The colorful blossoms of the trees of spring; the warm green colors of summer; the orange and red leaves of fall; and the blustery snowstorms in the winter months. We see people being born and we see them die. We see the sun rise in the morning and set at night. But when we start to think about heaven, where it's continually day and people don't die, it's hard for us to imagine such a place. However, we know that there is, because we are told about it in Scripture.

Revelation 21:1 "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea."

The things we know now will be gone forever. Man-made objects that we value today like our computers, cell phones, televisions, cars, and houses will no longer be needed. This is not all there is to life. For Christ commands us in Scripture to be more concerned about our heavenly treasures than our "possessions" on earth. Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

So, the question arises, which do we hold on to more? Our earthly goods or our treasures that we are storing in heaven? It's quite clear as to which is more important, but it can sometimes get easy for people to get comfortable with where they are. Their surroundings and possessions become so important to them, that in some cases, something "outside" is alien and not worth pursuing. And as humans in a world where things and lives are only temporal, it's hard to imagine a world where nothing never ends. It's continuous and nothing ever dies out, fades, or ceases to exist. It's sometimes hard to imagine eternity. I remember that as a young girl, I had a hard time imagining that God was never created. It's just amazing to us, because we know things to have a beginning and an end. But He never had a beginning; He always was. He will never have an end and He will never "die out". God will always be there.

But back to the question. It might be good to ask just how much stock we put in what we own. Do we put our talents before the One Who gave us those talents? Does our bank account mean more to us than putting money in the offering plate on Sunday. Of course with money, people are struggling financially. But we are commanded to give to the poor and needy.  God will bless those who give to the unfortunate. And I wonder if I have been like that where I get so wrapped up in "my little world", that I fail to seek God's guidance in areas or forget to spend those "quality" times with Him? Because holding on to what's important is a matter of setting our priorities straight. Do we put football before going to church? Would we rather watch Youtube videos than spend time in the Word. Where do we focus our energies the most and why?

My main thought with this, is that as Christians, many need to get things in their proper order. Our eternal home is more important than our earthly homes--though we all try to take care of them as best as we can. But when priorities are mixed up and God is put on the back burner, eternal things don't matter. I'm not saying that wanting more treasures in heaven should be our focus. But rather, because we want to serve and honor God; to make Him smile.

1 Corinthians 3:8 and 12-13 "Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor....Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is."

Revelation 22:12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work."

Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city."

To sum up these thoughts, I thought I would add a commentary by Charles Stanley regarding Matthew 6:21, in which he asks "What do you think about most throughout the day? What gets your heart beating fastest and loudest? What do you think you couldn't live without? Whatever "it" is, it's your treasure--and nothing but God is worthy of it".

God bless
Anna