Maybe we should start off by playing Sesame Street's one of these things is not like the others. That's probably an easy call for you all. Yeah you are right this isn't a game of Tribond. At least I can't think of something that these three topics have in common. If I think of one by the end of today I'll let you know.
Matthew 5-7 is called the Sermon on the Mount. It is a portion of the Bible where Jesus gives a message to a crowd on a hillside. He talks about a lot of different things. Its a great passage to study because its like having a long conversation with Jesus about things that really matter to him.
He says in chapter 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. "
Just a few chapters before this Jesus said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men."
Jesus spent a lot of time investing in the lives of his disciples. He said at the start of this process that he wanted to make them fishers of men. He wanted to grow them into Disciples who made disciples. It is interesting that at the beginning of the sermon on the mount it does not say that Jesus gathered a large crowd around him and began teaching. It says when he saw the crowd gathering he went up to the mountainside, his disciples came to him and he began teaching them.
Discipleship is not a quick process it takes a lot of time and energy. Jesus wanted his disciples to not only take hold of the Kingdom of Heaven, He wanted them to share this kingdom with everyone. I think that is part of the lesson we can learn about what he says in Matthew 6:19-21 (see above). When we connect to Jesus for the first time it is all about us. We are dumbfounded by the sacrifice he made so that we could have abundant life, but it is still about us and the gift we are receiving.
As we connect with other Christians it can also be a inwardly focused act. How many of us have not gone to our small group because we don't feel like we are getting anything out of it? Or we switch churches because we aren't getting fed. You could call that a spiritual buffet mentality. It is not that its bad to want to be fed spiritually or to want to grow. The truth is though, Jesus never wanted us to stop at that point of discipleship. A disciple who only cares about their own spiritual well-being is not going to be making any other disciples.
In verse 19 Jesus says where your heart is there your treasure will be also. If your treasure is in things this world treasures, then you are setting yourself up for a lot of hurt. Turn on the news tonight and you will see how quickly all the earth treasures can be taken from you. If you only treasure things that benefit yourself you are setting yourself up for an empty heart and a lonely life. Jesus wants us to have life and have life abundantly.
When you invest in other people's faith and well being (both spiritually and physically), you are storing your treasure in something that is eternal. You are sacrificing and working for something that could have an everlasting impact. It's also the kind of investment that comes back to you in the long run. Investing in other people is rewarding. Something that you will find is that it grows you more when you invest in others than when you just focused on investing in yourself.
Still wondering how Brett Favre fits into all of this? He doesn't. I just thought I would share a video with you that might make your Wednesday a little better. I am not really a Favre fan but this did make me laugh:
No comments:
Post a Comment