Storing Up Treasures

Luke 12:32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

When Lance’s grandmother passed away, her family had to go through all the things she left behind.  We found in her pantry, cans of Coca Cola.  These cans were so old that even though they were never opened, the liquid inside had dehydrated and the cans were almost completely empty inside.  There were rubber bands she had saved from vegetables she had bought and Styrofoam that she saved from her leftover meals.  She had carefully washed them and stacked them for later.   It took a long time to go through everything and when I think about it now, I realized that she had gone through the Great depression.  She had experienced lack and wanted to ensure that she had everything she needed.  She was ensuring God’s faithfulness to her.  It was a scary time for her, but that time had passed and she was still stuck in it.  For some of us, we have experienced what it is to have a need. Maybe, we were poor as children.  Maybe we are experiencing it now.  We have habits from that poverty.  We, like Lance’s grandmother store away things just in case. 

So, what does the bible say about storing up things?  Is it wrong?  Is it right?  Isn’t it being a good steward of our money?  Let’s look into the Word and find out.

The first question I would like to ask you is are you a hoarder or another word for it is are you a pack rat?  If you are, then what are you afraid of?  There is a certain fear of not having.  There is a lack of trust in God if you can’t help but store away.  I am not talking about finding a good deal and buying several for your family.

Matt. 6:19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Reserve of Wealth

1) Stacking

Let me give you a word study on "treasures." The Greek word is thesaurizete, from which we get the word thesaurus -- a treasury of words. The idea of the word treasure is to stash something somewhere. The peculiar quality of this Greek word literally conveys the idea of placing something horizontally.

There is a horizontal concept in the word thesaurizete. When something is stacked it is not being used -- it is in a passive condition. When you find a word in the Greek that has a vertical or perpendicular flavor, it means that it is in active use -- purposeful, meaningful, with a function, being invested in some purpose, goal, or end. But the meaning here is something flat stacked with no active function or purpose.

2) Stashing

The Lord is not referring to that which we use to live every day, but that which we just pile up. It is not our necessities (i.e., meeting the needs of our own life, family, the poor, the Lord; for setting aside money for the future, or for making wise investments in order to be better stewards of God's money in the days to come). It is not active but stockpiled luxury we amass for our own selves and beyond what we can possibly use. The implication is that there is an abundance too numerous for use, so it is just piled up.

My question to you is, are there stock pile in your home?  Are there stock piles in your closets, pantries, in your car?  Why?  What is it that you can’t trust God for?  What has He promised you?  Guess what?  He promised to give you so much that you would be blessed to have the necessity to give.

I have read countless stories of a man or woman who dies and had millions of dollars to their name and yet live in poverty. No one knew.  No one could even tell and they were content with the necessities in life that God met.  When they died, they gave it to churches, charities, etc… What I would hope is that they would have given it in their lifetime. 

Too many times, we are storing to save for our children when we die and never get to experience the joy of seeing the blessings of God being used to extend the kingdom of God.  There are people out in the world with no clothes, no food, no hope and we sit in our cramped houses full of junk that is being stock piled for who? 

The bible says that those things will be eaten by the worm or moth and it is true.  I have personally saved things only to discover that the dog peed on it, the kids found it and used stamps for stickers, it got torn, ripped and all the storing I did was for nothing.  And little do we know that our neighbor next door has a need for it and can use it today.  The church down the street is in need of musical instruments and you have stored away in your closet a set of drums or guitars for that day where you will learn how to play it. 

Too many people have lack and too many people have an overabundance and yet we don’t even recognize that God is saying store up treasures in heaven! Put those things you have extra and give it to God and He will utilize it, He will stretch it, He will glorify it better than you ever could.  Give it to God’s kingdom and you will begin to see things in your own life change. You will begin to see the heart of someone you love who won’t even say the word God melt. Why?  Because you are storing up treasures in heaven and not in your closet.

Gods’ word says in  Luke 12:32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

It is God’s will, God’s delight to give you everything your heart desires.  But, His word also says that in the manner in which you give, the same measure in which you give will be given to you.  If you give sparingly, you will receive sparingly.

Luke 12:34 says that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-2).

Luke 12:29-31 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things[c] shall be added to you.

There are people in my life that I would be so overwhelmed with joy if they received Jesus.  There are things that I am asking God to do for our church and needs that church has, healings for people.  My prayer requests to God is a mile long.  I drove in a very poor part of town and I saw defeat everywhere I drove and my heart literally hurt.  I wanted to cry because these people could not see that it is God’s pleasure to give them everything.  They have no idea.  They sit outside with nothing to do but live out their tired life.  Yet, I ask God to soften their heart.  Lord, please help these people.  And the resounding feeling I get is God saying, “I have given my people what they need to reach those. “  And God has, yet God’s own people will not relinquish the abundance.  He is not asking you to give your necessities, but your abundance.  God’s provision will always be to the cheerful giver.  The cheerful giver knows something that the pack rat doesn’t.  The cheerful giver knows that when you give to God, God can’t help but shower you with His promise of abundance.  It is in the Word.

The bible says that when you give to God, not to man.  When you give to God according to Malachi 3:10-12  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty.

12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.

The cheerful giver understands that when he/she gives to God his 10% of his income and offerings, then the promise of not only of too much, but protection from destruction comes to your family.  The cheerful giver completely believes God in this and his life displays it.  The cheerful giver is called blessed.  When you give to others out of your abundance, people will call you blessed.  When you hoard or stash away a treasure for yourself, people will not call you blessed, but selfish.  It is God’s will for His people to be givers.  Givers are those that have something to pass on, they live a life of abundance.  It may not be the abundance of this world but it is more than what someone else has.

When I was little and Grandma Musick was in my life as a little girl, she was not rich, but to me she had everything.  She had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for me when I got off the bus and songs about a pig that still linger in my mind.  She lived in a tiny house but it was warm.  It was full of love and she didn’t keep anything from me.  She loved me and gave not only her love but her home to my family and we were not her own family.  I remember warming myself by her space heater because she didn’t have central heating.  But to this day, she was a rich woman in my eyes.  She was richer than Michael Dell to me cause when I needed the warmth, she was there to GIVE it.  I remember her showing my sister as a baby a picture of Jesus that hung over her bed and repeated to her the name Jesus.  She was there for my mom too. I didn’t know until recently that she had lost her husband that year and yet she never showed it to me, just love.  I would never have guessed it.  She was experience heart ache.  The loss of a life long mate and her is this skinny little brown girl who didn’t sense sorrow but love. 

I told my husband that I want to be a Grandma Musick to someone.  Don’t you?  Don’t you want to be that helper to someone out there?  Wouldn’t you rather help a child, elderly person, a church, more than storing up and cluttering your house full of things you may never use? 

Let’s begin to store up treasures into the hearts of men because the Bible says that we are the kingdom of God.  Instead of stashing away and stockpiling things, give them to the kingdom of God.  Give them so that the name of Jesus will be exalted greater than the Bill Gates in the world.  Let the name of Jesus be the wealthiest name in the world by being a cheerful giver.

We have all read in the news about a family that was stuck in the Oregon woods and tragically, the father died trying to rescue his family.  Many spoke of James Kim like this,”

 "In my eyes, as a father, and in the eyes of his family, he is a true hero. He took the difficult but at the same time easy decision to risk his life to save the lives of those he loved the most...Rest in peace, brave man."

What was so extraordinary about this man? Why is this man seen as a hero?  It amazes me to see how the enemy comes in and changes the way men behave in this world so much that when one man does what he should be doing, protecting his family, putting his family before himself, is honored as a great man.  Where have we gone wrong?

Where have the men gone and why are there so many boys trapped in men’s bodies?  Has the plan of the enemy succeeded?  It seems as if the basic responsibilities of men are not met today.  I believe it is the plan of the enemy to sidetrack what God has ordained as the head.

Joseph, you remember him?  He is the man kneeling next to Jesus with Mary.  He is the one that people don’t really pay attention to.  But when one examines this man, they will find that he had to give up so much.  He had to leave his town and go live in Egypt for a period of time to save the Messiah from an early death.  He had to give up his plans for his life in order for the plans of salvation to transpire.  He had such a great calling on his life.  Why out of all of the men of the blood line of David, was Joseph chosen?  Yes, he came from the line of David.  The prophecies were to be fulfilled in his blood line.   The answer is spoken with one word.  Matthew 1:19 “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man.  He wasn’t just a man, he was a just man!

The greek word for just is defined as approved of or acceptable of God; keeping the commandments of the Lord; righteous.

That has a lot of power.  That entitled him to receive such a calling as the surrogate father of the Messiah.  To be able to hold this pure child in his arms, to kiss and hug, and direct in the ways of the Lord.  This just man was to teach Jesus how to be a carpenter.  This man was going to see the first steps of the Lord and God trusted him!  Why?  Because he was a just man.  He would be obedient to the commands given to him and God could trust him.

Matthew 1:24-25 “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”

It wasn’t something he wanted, he had planned to divorce her, but when God spoke he obeyed.  He wasn’t just a man, he was a just man.  What about you?  When you know what you should be doing, do you runaway, ignore that inner voice that directs you or do you shrug it off.  If you do the latter, than you are just a man. 

To do as the Lord commanded meant that when Joseph walked into town, people whispered and laughed.  Men talked about how cowardly he was and how promiscuous his wife was when deep inside he knew the truth.  Love bears all things.  He endured all things.  He truly loved God.  He didn’t do it for Mary, he did it for God.  He had the right mindset.  When we do anything it is unto the Lord, not man.

So what has happened today?  Men runaway from their responsibilities.  They divorce and child support has to be forced on them and some find ways to get out of it.  My biological father denied the right to father me.  A child should never have to specify which father he/she is talking about, the biological one or another.  My biological, denied the chance to teach me to ride a bike or see me in a school play.  He threw a way my childhood like it was worthless.  Lance’s father could not handle life and instantly left this earth with one shot deserting Lance at the age of eight. Has the plan of satan to take away the headship of man succeeded?  I think to some respect the answer is yes.  There are exceptions to this as well.  For that, we are grateful and those men stand out like James Kim.  Just men can't help but shine in a tarnised society that encourages men to take the back seat.

Today, men throw away their headship like it is a burden and pass it to the wife or desert it in its entirety and when that happens satan is victorious.  I asked my husband what made him want to be a just man?  What causes a person to desire to be mature enough to endure the calling on their lives?  What occurs in a person’s life that they want purpose and are willing to bear everything to achieve what God has for them? 

When will the monotony of life be to overwhelming that we will look up to God and say yes!  I will take my calling.  I will be that man, I will be that woman that you want me to be.  I will suffer if need be, I will be laughed at, I will be alone, I will be misunderstood, but I will not let my God down. 

The apostles were the kind of men that bore all things, they endured the hardships.  They were beaten, flogged, spit at, hated, and for what?  To bring the good news to us.  Today men suffer, not for the Good News, but they will suffer two jobs to have that nice house or car. 

As a woman, I want to look around and see men take their rightful place.  I think deep inside all of us, we want to do the right thing.  Deep inside, men know they are to be the head and women know they are the helpers.  So how do we make that change?  What did Joseph do?  He had his own plan of divorce but when God spoke, he obeyed.  Scripture says that “obedience is better than sacrifice.”  People want a formula, a quick fix in a pill form, but the answer is to obey.  Open up your bible, read who you are in Christ.   Take your place men and stop settling for second place.  As co-heirs, most of us are bankrupt inside.  That is an oxymoron.  A bankrupt heir to the throne of God.  Come on! Let’s take a stand.  Let’s commit to endure.  Let’s commit to obey.  Let’s decide, not as New Year’s resolution to be better.  Do it.  Make your bodies, your mind, submit to the will of God.  Hold every thought captive before it gives birth to your downfall.  Start today, start now.  Today is the day of salvation.  Now, faith is…  Not, tomorrow, today.  Put one foot in front of the other and be a just man not just a man.