TREASURE IN HEAVEN

 The statement "you will have treasure in heaven" comes from Matthew 19:21, where Jesus is pursued by a wealthy, young man who asks, "Teacher, what good deed can I do to assure myself eternal life?" [v.16]

[All quotes from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted]

Most of us are familiar with the passage of this encounter with Jesus.  But can you forget what you already know about it for right now?  

Let's just zero in on the relevant dialogue between Jesus and this wealthy man:

Then a young man came up to Jesus.  'Teacher, what good deed can I do to assure myself eternal life?' [v.16]

Jesus: "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give all your money to the poor; then you will have treasure in heaven. And then come, follow Me."  [v.21]

The essence of this teaching seems to be: have money here, or accrue "treasure in heaven".

I just read a story about a woman who brought her one-year-old son to a clinic in Maradi, Niger.  But, by the time she arrived, he was barely able to breathe and a nurse had difficulty finding a vein to insert an IV.  He'd been vomiting for days and was so severely dehydrated that when he cried, there were no tears.  

When asked why she delayed so long in bringing him in, she responded, "We lived too far away to walk with such a sick baby and until two days ago, I didn't have enough money to come by bus."  [Story and photo from Richard and Renee Stearns' book, HE WALKS AMONG US, pp.221-223]

Such poverty in the face of needing to help one's only child!  Does she love her child any less than other moms love their children?  No!  She was simply dealing with the realities of extreme poverty.  

When I was teaching in northeast China, my students all had the perception that I was wealthy - because I was an American!  My attempts to explain that I was not wealthy, fell on deaf ears.  UNTIL two of my students later visited us several years later.  As we took them to Washington, D.C. to sight-see, they were not excited about the hotel that we stayed in.  They obviously saw our modest home in Enon Valley - which was a brand new manufactured home that we were delighted in.  These two students finally realized that we were NOT wealthy.  When they had us drop them off, they requested we drop them at one of the finest hotels in Washington!  :-)

Wealth here, or treasure in Heaven?  

How many of us actually believe this teaching of Jesus?  "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give all your money to the poor; then you will have treasure in heaven."

As those who, up until the last three years, have been considered some of the wealthiest people on earth, have we justified ways to keep a lot of our wealth while still believing that we're pleasing God and meeting His requirements?  

• we tithe
• we give offerings
• we give to different charitable groups
• we send Samaritan Christmas shoeboxes at Christmas 
• we drop off a few cans of food to the local foodbank

Then we go home to our 65" televisions, campers, air conditioned and heated homes, and worship in our newly built, luxurious sanctuaries that sit empty six days a week.  

Will there be a great reversal when we get to Heaven?  Will those of us who have had so much in this life be assigned to mediocre homes there while the woman - pictured above - will live in a "mansion"?

Debbie and I were deeply moved a week ago after attending a missions rally that featured four speakers from the Middle East.  The stories they told of sacrifice left us in awe.  When two of these men spoke at The Foundery Church [which I am currently leading] last Sunday, we were asked not to video-cast because of the sensitivity of their content.  In the promotional material, their last names are not even given!   We heard stories of people who are coming to Christ at the risk of losing their lives!  

On our way home, we wistfully said, "Let's sell everything we have and give it all to this need."  We had seen the need and it moved us!  

The words of Jesus convict us.  Our meager, monthly gift to Samaritan's Purse is not balancing well with our accumulation of possessions and wealth!  

You're right - and you know it - we haven't put up a 'For Sale' sign yet.  But we both reflect on the happiness and fulfillment we experienced when we sold or gave away just about everything we had and went to live in China for three years.

Don't be surprised if... 

I AM RUINED

God uses books to change my heart!  I recently read a book, Kisses From Katie.  It's about Katie Davis. a young woman who - after graduating from high school - went to live in Uganda to serve the poor [book review coming soon].

Her story has challenged my heart so deeply.  I feel like Isaiah who had a vision of standing in the throne-room of God and being overwhelmed by what he witnessed!  His response:  (Isaiah 6:5  NASB)

Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
and I live among a people of unclean lips;
for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

I have been shown a literary picture of the reality of true poverty through the sacrifice and genuine love of a young girl!  Her compassion has challenged me and the opulent life that I live.  Almost everything I do now is run through a filter of how my extravagance could have been re-routed to help Katie's kids.

I read Wes Stafford's book, Too Small To Ignore, last year and it had a similar impact on me.  God is clearly speaking to me about bringing my life into conformity with His compassion for the poor! 

Last night, we ate in an exclusive restaurant in Baltimore, The Capital Grille.  Although, Travis picked up the bill, I suspect that it was for over $200.  I came home and wrestled to get to sleep.  How many children could have been sent to school for that sum? 

We've stayed in hotels several times recently;  each time I pay the bill, I think about the children of Masese (Ugandan refuse dumps) who sleep in the dirt, wear no shoes, and go untreated for worms.  I think about orphans whose parents have died and who care for one another as best they can.

I know.  This Schindler-esque thinking can drive you crazy.  It can make you do radical things.  IT CAN RUIN YOUR LIFE!!

But, like Isaiah, now that I've seen the reality I must do something!  I've been shown the evil of an affluent society.  I've faced the reality of my complicity in this evil as a result of my ignorance and cold-heartedness.  I must do something...

HERE AM I, LORD, SEND ME!!!

JOY

I had a couple of hours last evening to continue my reading of Dr. Wes Stafford's book, Too Small To Ignore.  I stopped when I read the following:

The poor comprehend that joy is not dictated by the circumstances of life.  Joy is a decision, a very brave one, about how you are going to respond to life.  We in the West tend to be joyful when things go our way and good things are happening in our lives.  For the poor [who make up nearly two out of every three people on earth], such good fortune and good things almost never come.  Yet laughter and smiles abound.  (p.165)

I have lived my entire life (sixty years this week) with the supposition that I have been blessed to have been born and raised in the United States of America.  However, in the last year or so, I've begun to think the opposite.  If life is so good in America, why so much depression, divorce, and addiction?  Why do we consume the majority of prescription drugs issued throughout the world?  ("Americans consumed three-quarters of the ten top-selling prescription drugs in the world." [Health Tracking Trends: "Retail Prescription Drug Spending in the National Health Accounts" by Cynthia Smith])

The assumed joy of materialism and consumerism seems to be eluding us.  How many people do you know who are truly joyful?

"In 1950, the average American single-family home was 983 square feet.  By 1970, that figure had grown to 1,500 square feet.  By 2004, it had ballooned to 2,329 square feet." (p.92)  And, of course, we're so much happier now - as a result!  The home Debbie and I live in would probably house five families in Asia.

Is Stafford right?  Are the poor more content?  Are they happier?  He speaks of playing soccor in the little African village of his childhood.  No field, no shoes, no rules, no teams.  Just an inflated chicken intestine being kicked around the village by kids (and adults occasionally)!  When he was exposed to soccor at a boarding school, he was disappointed with the formalities of rules, limits, skills, penalties, teams, and the concept of winning!  In his village, soccor was played simply for fun!

I'm thinking that there might be some real value in being exposed to the extreme poverty in this world.  I'm thinking that there might be some real value in being exposed to the true joy in this world.  I'm thinking that we've been sold a lie - and most of us have bought into it unquestioningly...

What do you think?