Where's your heart?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:19-24

Our sermon in church today was based on this verse, so all the credit for "my thoughts" go to my wonderful pastor Zach. (thanks, Zach, you are wonderful!)

The problem: People invest their treasure in the wrong things. Our pastor started the sermon with a story about a guy and his car.  This guy had a great car that he loved so much, but in a moment of recklessness, he had an epic car accident, the only thing saving his life was the fact that he was wearing his seat-belt.  As the police drove up on the accident, they could see the man pace and mumbling, and as the got closer they heard him saying "my BMW! my BMW! my BMW! my BMW!".  One of the officers approached him and said, "man, i know your car is totaled, but you need to look at your left arm!" The man looked down, seeing his left arm so damaged, shattered and holding on only by a couple of strips of muscle, and immediately began to moan, "my ROLEX, my ROLEX, my ROLEX!"

It is ok to laugh, i did. But at the same time that i laughed, i admit i was a bit ashamed. Treasure is what you willingly give your life to obtain. the wrong things - those are the things that own you. Where is your heart?  Would you exchange your life for money? our "stuff" eventually becomes a burden in and of itself - all the "stuff" that we work so hard for, house, car, jewelry, clothes, gadgets - all those things are eventually going to be lost. the house can burn down, the car be destroyed in an accident, the clothes wear out, the jewelry and gadgets, they can be stolen. You can't take this stuff with you. Greed, or the love of money, is a terrible addiction, because what you have is never enough. Money will always demand more of you, more time, more money. Money is never going to say "i love you".  Money is not sympathetic. 

Kingdom things, investing in the things of God, those things cannot be lost, stolen or destroyed. Share your love, your time, your talents.  Take care of the people around you  these are things of God. God will always give more to you, more love, more grace, more forgiveness, more freedom. 

So questions: 

1) Does the love of money or the love of God motivate you? 

2) Does money consume your thoughts or does God consume your thoughts? 

3) Where is your heart?