Jesus tells us, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). Often, I think one of the biggest hindrances to Christians living a life of faith and serving the Lord has do to with what Jesus was talking about in this verse. If Jesus is not our treasure, how can He have our heart? And if He doesn’t have our heart, how can we truly serve the Lord?
God has called us to do more than merely exist, work for a living, earn a paycheck. The Lord has called us to bear fruit (John 15:16), and bear it abundantly. But where our treasure is will determine how much fruit we bear.
I remember a number of years ago I was wrestling with increasing my giving. The Lord had been placing a burden on my heart for four or five months. I knew it was from Him, I knew He was asking me to give more, and I was refusing. Actually … I wasn’t refusing; I was ignoring.
Then, on a trip with a Christian organization I realized I had to finalize this once and for all. The Lord wasn’t letting up, the burden on my heart was growing, and I knew I couldn’t ignore it any longer. So, while my wife slept, I took a walk on the beach to “discuss” this problem with God. He kept saying, “increase your giving.” And I would say, “no.” He would ask again, and I would refuse again. Then I felt in my spirit the Lord asking “why won’t you increase your giving?” And I replied, “because I want that new house and I need the money to save up for it.”
So the Lord next said, “give me the house.” And I replied, “no.” “Give me the house.” I again replied, “no.” He asked again, and I finally relented and gave in. I said, “Okay, I give you the house.”
After I gave the Lord the new house I wanted, He then said, “now, increase your giving.” And my reply? I said, “okay, how much?”
For me, the new house was my treasure. I wasn’t willing to obey the Lord because He didn’t have my heart — the house did. Once I surrendered my treasure and gave it to the Lord, my heart followed with it. And when the Lord had my heart, I was willing to do what He asked.
How about you?
Are you holding onto something, a treasure, that is keeping you from obeying the Lord?
Give the Lord your treasure so your heart will follow, then watch the Lord do great things in your life. Surrendering to the Lord is where walking by faith begins.
… Beatty Carmichael