This is what Jesus says in Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Recently I was reading a word by John Chrysostom that is over 1600 years old. It’s a beautiful commentary on Jesus’ words and, despite its age, could have been written last week. For today’s devotional, I share it with you. It needs no additional commentary:
“Some people see the houses in which they live as their kingdom; and although in their minds they know that death will one day force them to leave, in their hearts they feel they will stay forever.
They take pride in the size of their houses and the fine materials with which they are built. They take pleasure in decorating their houses with bright colours, and in obtaining the best and most solid furniture to fill the rooms. They imagine that they can find peace and security by owning a house whose walls and roof will last for many generations.
We, by contrast, know that we are only temporary guests on earth. We recognize that the houses in which we live serve only as hostels on the road to eternal life. We do not seek peace or security from the material walls around us or the roof above our heads.
Rather, we want to surround ourselves with a wall of divine grace; and we look upward to heaven as our roof. And the furniture of our lives should be good works, performed in a spirit of love.”
By Matthew Ruttan
–“Asking God for a sign” is what I’ll be talking about on Sunday, September 1 at Westminster. Click here for a short 38-second video about what to expect.
–“Up!” is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on September 2.
–Bible quotes are from the NIV.
–Today’s passage is from: On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom, comp. R. Van de Weyer, p. 11.
The Up Devotional 