WHERE’S YOUR TREASURE?(Some adapted content from various sources)

“Two little lines I heard one day,Traveling along LIFE'S BUSY WAY;Bringing CONVICTION to my HEART,And from MY MIND would not depart;Only one life, 'twill soon be past,Only what's done for Christ will last.

ONLY ONE LIFE, yes ONLY ONE,Soon will its FLEETING HOURS be done;Then, in 'THAT DAY' my Lord to meet,And stand before HIS JUDGMENT SEAT;Only one life, 'twill soon be past,Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice,Gently pleads FOR A BETTER CHOICEBidding me SELFISH AIMS to LEAVE,And TO GOD'S HOLY WILL to CLEAVE;Only one life, 'twill soon be past,Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, A FEW BRIEF YEARS,Each with its BURDENS, HOPES, and FEARS;Each with its days I must fulfill,Living for SELF or in HIS WILL;Only one life, 'twill soon be past,Only what's done for Christ will last.

When THIS BRIGHT WORLD would TEMPT me sore,When satan would a victory score;When self would seek TO HAVE ITS WAY,Then help me Lord with joy to say;Only one life, 'twill soon be past,Only what's done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, A PURPOSE DEEP,In JOY or SORROW, THY WORD to keep;FAITHFUL and TRUE what e'er the strife,Pleasing Thee IN MY DAILY LIFE;Only one life, 'twill soon be past,Only what's done for Christ will last.

Oh let MY LOVE with FERVOUR burn,And FROM THE WORLD now let me TURN;Living for THEE, and THEE ALONE,Bringing THEE pleasure on Thy throne;

Only one life, "twill soon be past,Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,Now let me say, "THY WILL BE DONE";And when at last I'll hear the call,I know I'll say "’TWAS WORTH IT ALL";Only one life, 'twill soon be past,Only what's done for Christ will last. "

Only one life, 'twill soon be past,Only what's done for Christ will last.And when I am dying, how happy I'll be,If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”

So said, Charles Thomas Studd.

Charles was born into a wealthy family in England. When just 16, Charles put his faith in the Lord Jesus.

He became a cricket player, with worldwide fame. But Charles realised that he did not want to pursue such a career.

He said about his decision, “I knew that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come.”

He took an eternal perspective. He chose what was worthwhile.

He was motivated by a desire TO GLORIFY THE LORD, NO MATTER THE COST.

Studd left England to serve as a missionary in China, with Hudson Taylor.

He explained that: “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”

The former cricketer spent a decade in China, much of that time working in a rehabilitation center for opium addicts, sharing the gospel and seeing lives transformed by the truth.

While he was in China, his father died and left him a large inheritance.

But rather than keeping it, he immediately gave it all away to support ministries like those led by George Müller and D. L. Moody.

Charles and his wife, and four daughters, moved to India, where he pastored a local congregation for seven years.

He struggled with severe asthma, often staying awake most of the night struggling to breathe. But he faithfully preached the gospel, and many souls in Southern India were converted to Christ.

Charles sensed God calling him to take the gospel to the innermost jungles of Africa – to the Belgian Congo. It was not easy. At one point, he contracted a severe case of malaria. Another time he woke up in the morning to discover a poisonous snake had been sleeping by his side all night long.

Charles worked in the heart of Africa — bringing the gospel to tribes that had

previously never heard the name of Jesus Christ.

He wrote over 200 hymns, translated the New Testament into the native language, and saw thousands of African people turn to the Lord.

C. T. Studd died in Africa, at the age of seventy, having spent most of his adult life in missionary service: ten years in China, seven years in India, and twenty years in Africa.

It was hard, pioneering missionary work.

Charles Studd had a simple and sincere conviction.

He said, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”http://www.tms.edu/preachersandpreaching/only-one-life-2/

What of us?

WHERE is OUR TREASURE?

Matthew 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

(20) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

(21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

It’s been said that this speaks of "The only bank that’s fully insured." (Wilmington)

Do we hold tight to this world?

Or do we care about what will last?

Our relationship with God?How we can live and serve Him?

This world is not our home.

2 Peter 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

An American tourist travelled to Poland and went to visit with a respected religious teacher who was known for his wisdom.

The visitor noticed that THE MAN'S ROOM HAD NOTHING BUT A TABLE, A CHAIR, AND SOME BOOKS.

Puzzled by this, the visitor asked, "WHERE IS YOUR FURNITURE?"

The teacher answered, "My furniture? Where is YOUR FURNITURE, my friend?"

The American protested, "Furniture? But I AM ONLY A TOURIST PASSING THROUGH."

"So am I," said the man.

And so are ALL OF US.

It's true that we're just passing through this world.

And so we need to learn to loosen our grip on our earthly possessions.

What will we treasure?

I say to you:Treasure Christ.

Are you laying up treasure in Heaven?

It won’t matter what the interest rate does.

It won’t matter if there’s deflation and you lose value in what you own.

No thieves are going to break through and steal. Our treasures are securely guarded.

It’s described in 1 Peter 1:3-4…

1 Peter 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope

by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

It all boils down to this:

Question is, WHERE is your heart?

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Just yesterday I stood by the bedside of one of our church folk, and this lady was hooked up to all kind of electronic gadgetry, testing what was going wrong.

And you could see all these machines that measure heart rate and blood pressure and you name it.

But only God can see inside the heart of man. To know what you are made of. Only God can measure your heart and He sees what is in it.

As someone has observed, your heart is a movable object.

The heart is THE CONTROL CENTRE for life.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Watch over your heart.

What is your heart devoted to?

What has THE MASTERY over your life?

Put God first, with your use of money and of your time.

Invest your life in this.

Maximise your life to do God’s will.

The Bible tells the story of Achan, in Joshua 6:17-18, 7:1-26.

God told the children of Israel to attack Jericho, and to abstain from the accursed things, and to bring all the silver, gold, and vessels of bronze and iron to be consecrated to the Lord, into the treasury of the Lord.

As they attacked Jericho, one of the men disobeyed God’s command.

He kept for himself a beautiful Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing 50 pounds.

Because of this man’s sin, Israel was defeated at the battle of Ai.

This man was put to death because his heart coveted after these riches instead of honouring the Lord and doing as He had asked.

His heart was in the wrong place.

The Lord Jesus told a story about another man who stored up abundant treasures

and decided to store up everything for himself (Luke 12:16-21).

He said to himself, Take life easy… eat, drink and be merry (v. 19).

But that night he lost EVERYTHING, including HIS LIFE.

God called him a fool.

The Lord said, This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God (v. 21).

The Lord Jesus says,

Luke 12:15 Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Some people get all caught up with covetousness, greed…

But the Lord says that our life does not consist in the abundance of the things that we have.

Our life – our true value – lies in the person we are – it’s about who we are.

Let us not hold tightly to earthly things.Let’s not put our trust in earthly wealth.

If our treasure is ON EARTH we will experience much disappointment.

Rather, set your affection on things above.

God has given us the gift of life. And He has given us different responsibilities.

He calls on us to manage what He has given to us, as His servants, as STEWARDS.

He wants us to be FAITHFUL STEWARDS, who use what we have been given WISELY.

Let’s make our time on earth COUNT so that there’s some ETERNAL BENEFIT.

It’s what we are designed for.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

He wants us to show forth his praises….

In some churches in China, they welcome new believers by saying, “Jesus now has a new pair of eyes with which to see, a new set of ears for listening, two new hands for which to help and a new heart for loving others.”

George W. Truett, a well-known pastor, was invited to dinner in the home of a very wealthy man in Texas.

After the meal, the host led him to a place where they could get a good view of the surrounding area.

Pointing to the oil wells punctuating the landscape, he boasted, “Twenty-five years ago I had nothing. Now, as far as you can see, it’s all mine.”

Looking in the opposite direction at his sprawling fields of grain, he said, “That’s all mine.”

Turning east toward huge herds of cattle, he bragged, “They’re all mine.”

Then pointing to the west and a beautiful forest, he exclaimed, “That too is all mine.”

He paused, expecting Dr. Truett to compliment him on his great success.

Truett, however, placing one hand on the man’s shoulder and POINTING HEAVENWARD with the other, simply said, “How much do you have IN THAT DIRECTION?”

The man hung his head and confessed, “I never thought of that.” (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

MATERIAL WEALTH is TEMPORARY.

But TREASURES IN HEAVEN are never lost…

So how can we have such treasure?

Firstly, we must yield our heart to know Christ as our Saviour.

THEN, invest YOUR LIFE in BEING A BLESSING.

Invest in your CHARACTER.

Develop SKILLS, through EDUCATION and LEARNING.

Learn things you can use in God’s service. Maybe learn a musical instrument. Develop some abilities you can use to serve God.

EMPLOY your SKILLS and TALENTS for THE GLORY OF GOD.

Put your faith into action.

BE A WITNESS. Don’t be afraid to share your faith with others.

It’s been said that the only things of this earth we can take to Heaven are the souls that we have reached here below.

Invest in people, pointing them to the Lord and helping them grow in their faith.

Invest your life in what matters in Heaven. In what is important in God’s heart.

There is a reward to come from a life invested like this…

It can be just small steps you can take. It all counts.

Even in the little ways we can bless others…

Matthew 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

It’s something very simple. Just a small act of kindness. It’s important to God. You can bless other people. You will see a reward for that.

Nothing can take our treasure away.

The Lord says it’s reserved in heaven for you.

Let’s invest in things that help get people into Heaven.

Invest in people.

This treasure won’t wear out or rust out.

Then we will know a heavenly reward.True riches

Invest your life.

There is a reward from yielding your life to God.

Yield to the Holy Spirit.

Seek His will.Lean on Him.

Engage the power of prayer.Don’t miss out on fellowship.

These are the things we can treasure.Even in testing times…

There’s even blessings promised there…

When the Lord spoke of persecution… He says,

Luke 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Even when we are persecuted – we can leap for joy. The Lord says to you, great is your reward in heaven.

God is growing us, developing our character. We are promised REWARD.

WHAT is YOUR TREASURE?

It’s where your heart is.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Some will pour all their time and energy into a hobby, or it could be an interest, a sport…

Some will spend much of their time playing video games…

Some will pour their life into making a lavish lifestyle for themselves.

Some will spend their earnings on pokies or alcohol or drugs.

Sometimes Facebook provides a window into people’s treasures. What they spend their time talking about. What it is they are occupied with.

Some people will obsess about their physical health or their appearance and spend much time on that.

Some will be constantly all caught up in entertainment, in seeing the latest movies, going on trips, buying the latest gadgets, or constantly updating their car or obsessed with their possessions.

What is your treasure?

It can show through in your conversation – what it is that you talk about the most.

Your thinking – what it is that you worry about or dwell on.

What it is that you put your time and energy into. What is it that you will put time aside for? What is it that you will make a commitment to be at, rain, hail, sleet, or shine?

It’s where your heart is.

You see some mad keen footie fans – they would never dream of missing a game. They will move heaven and earth to be there. They will spend heavily to go to the other side of the nation to barrack for their team. They will go crazy when their team wins. And they will go into deep mourning every time their team loses a match.

How can we so invest our lives that there will be treasure in heaven?

Look for ways you can engage in unselfish consideration of others.

Think about how you can employ your talents for the glory of God.

How you can INVEST IN YOUR SOUL...

I know a young woman here was telling me how she wants to undertake Bible training. She wants to be better equipped to serve the Lord. It’s where her heart is.

Invest in increasing your Bible knowledge. Spend your money wisely, buying some good Christian books and materials.

Invest in your church by supporting the meetings, by supporting the ministry, by taking an active part where you can.

And there’s more than just Sunday AM.

Invest in study.

Memorise Bible verses.

Invest in Bible training, Bible doctrine, Bible apologetics.

Invest in your spouse.

Invest in your children.

Invest in Christian education.

In the decisions of life, do we consider the kingdom of God?

We have riches beyond compare if we know Christ as Saviour.

It’s been said, “The real measure of our wealth is how much we'd be worth if we lost all our money.” (John Henry Jowett)

We have the heavenly treasure in earthly vessels.

In these, our mortal bodies, easily broken and weak though they are, we have God’s treasure.

As someone has said (Robert Guelich)...“To have one’s treasure in heaven means to submit oneself totally to that which is in heaven—God’s sovereign rule.” (The Sermon on the Mount: A Foundation for Understanding. Waco, Texas: Word Books. 1982)

To seek first the kingdom of God, we must first seek after and come to know Heaven’s king.

To know heavenly treasure may we yield our lives into the hands of the King of Heaven.

And pledge our allegiance unto Him.

Hold LIGHTLY to the things of earth,but TIGHTLY to the things of heaven.

Turn your attention heavenwards.

He speaks to us, above all the noise…Be still, and know, that I am God.

Things can get too noisy and we can miss hearing His voice. God’s voice can sometimes get drowned out by all our noise.

It may mean a sacrifice for you, to put your treasure in heaven.

What kind of sacrifice could it mean for us? It can mean redirecting our energy, our time, our resources. Our priorities.

Make a sacrifice – and see God reward you…

As Moses did:

Hebrews 11:25-26 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

(26) Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Moses had it made, materially speaking. He could have lived a life of ease and comfort. But, no, Moses decided to identify himself with the people of God and he choose the greater riches than the treasures of Egypt – which speaks of worldly wealth.

The Bible tells us not to "trust in UNCERTAIN RICHES"(1 Timothy 6:17-19).

What are you investing your life in?

You reap what you sow.

We can give cheerfully. God will make us abound unto every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

(7) Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

It’s a decision of the heart. A heart decision.

(8) And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Every day we are planting.

One day we will see the harvest. The reward.

Every man has to make a choice how he will give. How he will invest his labours,

his life. Every man as he purposes in his heart.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You’ve only one life.Twill soon be past.Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Where’s your treasure?

I urge you to make a wise investment decision for eternity’s sake.

Place your treasure in Heaven.