The Treasure Principle

Some of us are ready to hear the following and run with it.  I understand that some of us just aren't quite there yet...  That would be me a few years ago.  That's OK...  But - if the following hits you exactly where it needs to - then GOOD!

This just put a good degree of wind in my sails today...

It's called "The Treasure Principle".  What it is, in a nutshell:

"You can't take it with you -- but you can send it on ahead."

What!?!?  Yup - It's that simple.  If you "get it" - maybe right now you might be struggling to get your breath back...?

Randy Alcorn writes: "Anything we try to hang on to here will be lost.  BUT, anything we put into God's hands can be ours for eternity.  If we GIVE instead of KEEP, if we invest in the ETERNAL instead of the TEMPORAL, we store up treasures in heaven that never stop paying dividends.  Whatever treasures we store up on earth will be left behind when we leave it.  Whatever treasures we store up in heaven will be waiting for us when we arrive."

I was an Economics Major in college - so this is really grabbing my attention!  We are told that smart financial/economic planning is to not think 3 months or 3 years ahead - but to think 30 years ahead.  With Christ as our Ultimate Advisor, He is challenging us to think even farther -- our "investments" can be paying off in 30 million years - or more!!

You and I are entrusted with a handful of things during our earthly life - be it money, gifts, talents, material things, relationships, influence, etc.  God in His grace, gives each one of us "treasures" that we can enjoy and be blessed with.  But these good things are merely just a "beginning" - not an end.  They are not given as "rewards" - and they are especially NOT given for us to have and keep for ourselves.  As we learn to hand over to God what He has given us in the first place, amazing and powerful things can happen - on a scale that we can't possibly fathom.  But God does!

As we live more fully surrendered to Him - as we live more and more for His purposes and His Glory - we will hang on more lightly to what belongs to this world only.  Learning to have more of an eternal perspective on all that we have and do is possible - and it is a perspective that will require a deeper trust in a God that has bigger and greater plans for His people - in the now and far beyond the now!

There are Great Treasures He wants for us!  In heaven we are promised them in rich measure - for a life intentionally and selflessly lived for the Cause and Kingdom of Christ.

In my simple and current understanding - this means that:

1) We receive great and full Gifts of Grace from God while on this earth - but God has Heavenly Blessings prepared for us that are UNBELIEVABLE!!  He is eager to give great Treasures in Heaven to those that work and serve hard and dedicate themselves fully to loving Him and living for Him - and especially suffering for Him.

2) Through our tiny, insignificant but yielded lives - and through all our efforts - we can have an UNBELIEVABLE amount of Heavenly Impact far into the future!!  Because of what you and I do for Jesus NOW - people can be blessed LATER  - maybe even hundreds of centuries later??  That's WAY cool...!!  And humbling.

Woah, Nellie!!  Sign me up for THIS Investment Plan, please...

Jesus sums it all up right here...



The Word You Can Lean On:
Matthew 6:20 - "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven..."