Where Is Your Heart?

Do not store up yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

In today’s world we are bombarded with ads that tell us to buy more, want more, do more, and be more. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make our lives easier and better but when we put material things and our personal accomplishments ahead of God, we are worshipping idols.

Idol worship did not end in the Old Testament. An idol is anything or anyone we make more important than God. When we put possessions, job, money, or even our family and friends our most important priority we make them idols. God blesses us with gifts to show His love to us but too often, we replace Him with these blessings.

How can we use these blessings on earth to store up treasures in Heaven? I will explore three ways we can have treasures in Heaven that will last for an eternity. First, we must treasure Christ. In John 3:16, we read that God loves us so much that He sent His one and only son to pay the penalty for our sins. Can you imagine such love?

The second way is to use the gifts and talents God has given us to glorify Him. He has gifted each of us with talents we can use to further His kingdom. Some of us can sing, others are gifted teachers, and still others’ hearts are touched to write of His love. We have different gifts but all can and should use them for His glory.

Finally, when we spread the gospel to other people, we are storing treasures that will not rust or decay. We are called to be missionaries. We may not be called to a foreign mission field but our own communities are fertile soil for spreading the good news. Sometimes our own families and friends can be ministered to. I lead my own children and grandchildren to Christ. Nothing else I have accomplished can match that. Jesus has commanded us to spread the news and there are plenty of opportunities to let others know how great our God is.

By storing up treasures in Heaven we are assured that these treasures will not be destroyed by moths and vermin or stolen by thieves. How great is that?

Recently in church I heard as sermon based on these scriptures in Matthew 6. As I was listening, this poem began to run through my head. I wrote it down while it was fresh in my head. It expresses how easy it is to let “things” in our life crowd out God’s place in our hearts.

My True Treasure

I bought a new car today,

Such a beautiful ride.

Church time came and went

And I pushed God aside.

I bought a new house today

Oh what a beautiful space.

Church time came and went

But I was not in my place.

I got a raise at work today

To make my bank account grow.

Church time came and went

But I did not go.

Now the car is filled with rust

And the home was taken away,

When my good job was lost

And the bills I could not pay.

One day the Lord spoke to me

When I got on my knees to pray,

He said, “My child, I’ve been right here

It was you who went away.”

Keep On Keeping On

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.Galatians 6:9

"I give up! I can't do this! It's too hard!" Nick slammed his math book shut. I stopped washing dishes and sat down beside him. After helping him for about 20 minutes he hugged me. "Now I understand and it is not as hard as I thought." He gathered up his books and prepared for school the next morning. I sent him to the shower before he went to bed.

After his shower and he had gone to bed, I sat down to relax a bit before I finished my nightly routine. I began to think about Nick and his homework. I realized that I too, want to give up and quit when success seems out of reach. Sometimes when I work on a goal and run into a brick wall I want to throw up my hands in despair. That is when I cry out to God, "Lord, this is too hard! I can't do it. You are asking too much from me." I often feel defeated before I start because I try to work in my own strength.

Just when I feel overwhelmed with my endeavors, God speaks to my heart, "Child, I am here for you-- don't forget that you do not have to go alone in your own strength. I called you for a special purpose and I will go before you and equip you with all you need. Don't give up. You helped Nick with his homework and he knew you were there for him. I want you to know that I am here for you."

I would like to say that all my doubts were wiped away but I can't. Doubts still come and I still get overwhelmed at times. I would like to say that I never want to give up and reach every goal I attempt without fear. Again I can't say that. I still have doubts about my ability but when these doubts do rear their ugly heads, I remember I don't have to face them alone. I have a loving and caring Father who will always be with me to help me keep on keeping on.

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on one minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tides will change, Harriet Beecher Stowe

Don't Quit

Don't Quit no matter what!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won if he'd stuck it out.

Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than It seems to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor's cup,

And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are -

It may be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -

It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit. -

by Author Unknown

Modern Miracle

 
Miracles can and do still happen. In fact, they happen every day. Unfortunately we are often too busy living our lives in the hectic pace that is so common today, we often miss the miracles that are all around us. I can recall one special miracle that happened to my family on Halloween in 2004.

That Saturday began like every other day for my family—frantic rushing to get somewhere. Today my two older girls had soccer games and as usual we are running late. In the chaos of finding soccer gear and loading up the car a quarrel broke out with the two. “I'm riding in the front seat!” “No I am!” This argument went on for what seemed like hours. Finally, I had enough of this nonsense so I ordered both to get in the back seat so we could leave.

When they finally realized I meant what I said but still mouthing insults to each other, they got in the car. When I heard the last door slam, I heard a frightening scream from the younger boy. I looked back to see what was wrong and my blood ran cold with horror. His hand was stuck in the closed door. I jumped out and tried to open the door but it would not open! My husband came out of the house to see what all the screaming and crying was. He frantically tried to open the door but it was stuck.

“Call 911!' I was still attempting to pry open the door. Just as Mom ran to the house to make the phone call, the EMTs pulled into the driveway. “We were passing your house when we noticed the frantic activity.” one of the men shouted as he came running to the car. I hurriedly explained what had happened. He then began shouting orders while he tried to open the door. Still the door would not budge and the child's hand would not come out.

Now the flurry of activity became even more hectic while the kids were crying and I was praying that God would keep His hand over Christian's hand to minimize the damage to his hand. The EMTs were just as panicked as the rest of us when one turned to me and asked permission to break the car windows in order to use the jaws of life to open the door. “Do what you have to do,” I tearfully replied. With all the prayers that went up today, God surely was listening. The medics tried the door again and it opened up.

Now by this time we had drawn quite a crowd and cheers went up that surely must have reached heaven. I turned around and saw the ambulance waiting in the driveway. While Christian's hand was packed in ice and he was loaded into the ambulance, my daughter grabbed her stomach and moaned. Yes, the mother of this precious child was eight months pregnant. She was rushed into the ambulance with Christian and both of them were rushed off to the hospital—he went for treatment and she went for a checkup to assure her safety and the precious baby she was going to have in a month.

Mom and I followed in my car and rushed into the emergency room. Christian was calm and quiet as the doctors checked out his hand. I imagined every bone and muscle destroyed and when his hand was uncovered there did not appear to be any damage at all. The nurses got him ready to have X-rays and Mom was holding his other hand. I reluctantly left and went to the OB-GYN department to see how my daughter was doing. After she was thoroughly checked out and her health and the health of the baby were confirmed, I went back to the ER to see about Christian. When I returned I heard laughing and cheering from the staff. “What is the prognosis?” I asked utterly confused by the cheerful atmosphere in the exam room. I then saw Christian and his hand was completely normal—even the swelling had gone. One nurse looked at me as she hugged Christian and he smiled through his tears. There was no damage at all to his hand. The ER doctor told us in his “professional” voice that we had all over reacted and had given in to hysteria. One paramedic was still there and was waiting until we found out everything was fine told the doctor “That kid's hand was in that door for 45 minutes before the door would open. I guess if the family over reacted we “professionals” did too. This experience has taught me that miracles do happen because I just witnessed one.”

Yes, a miracle had just happened to us. No one can convince me that God does not perform miracles today. My grandson had an angel holding his hand over that child's hand. No one can convince me He was not protected by my heavenly Father and His angels.
Christian is now twelve years old and has not had any problems with his hand. There is no evidence at all that he suffered a traumatic injury of any kind.

So friends, yes there is a heavenly Father who watches over His children and protects us from dangers that befall us. I will never forget the day that God sent His angels to protect a three year old. Today Christian remembers that day he experienced God's unconditional love for him. His faith and mine were made stronger that day. If you ask him what happened that day he will tell you that God came down and held his hand in His

Where My Loyalties Lie

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. Psalm 118:8

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12

I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. I am a human born in America. Above all else I am a Christian. God is my Father and my leader. Everything I am or do is because of His love for me and my love for Him. I have rights and responsibilities that are given to me by God which cannot be taken from me by anybody, including the government.

I have the responsibility to be a missionary for Him. All Christians are given this mandate and should not take it lightly. I may not be called to serve in a foreign field, but I am called to be a missionary to my family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. This is a rich field for broadcasting the news of the Gospel. I have a responsibility to teach my children about Him. If I don’t teach them about Him, the world is waiting to detour them to worldly ways.

I try to live a life that shows His mighty love and grace. I want to radiate His love because I may be the only Bible that many people will read. I am called to stand up for Him and His Kingdom. This is very difficult at times but I do know that what God calls me to do He will equip me to accomplish the task set before me. I do know that He will give me the strength and courage to do what He wants me to do. In fact, He is doing just that right now as I type this. Yes, I admit I often fail Him but He has never failed me.  I know some people will be offended by my message but Jesus said, “If you deny me in front of men, I will deny you in front of my Father.”

God has also given me many gifts and blessings. One of these is a freedom of choice—free will. No earthly government can take that from me. This country, no, this world, is in a cycle of destruction. It seems that decency and morals have totally been put in reverse. What God calls good and just is now against the law. Christians have been called terrorists and racists if we stand up for what is right and just. Evil is rewarded and godly living is condemned. What were once freedoms in America is now being usurped by the government. Our freedom of choice is being eroded with the persecutions of Christians and the “law” that one insurance plan be used. I am using my free will God gave me and live up to my moral standards and live my life to please God and not men. It is true that my life can be taken away, my soul cannot be taken because my heavenly Father sent His son, Jesus, to pay the price for my soul. I accepted His free gift and now my soul belongs to Him.

I am not saying I am perfect—far from it.  But, I do know that God is always with me and will give me the strength I need for whatever comes my way.

With the elections coming up, I pray that His people will carefully weigh the issues at hand and not vote for the candidate that tells you  just what sounds good but the candidate that will uphold the law of our land and do what is right for America.  Our country is on a downhill slide and the results of this election will determine the direction our country and the world will take.   I do not take this responsibility lightly and I hope you don’t either.

Keep On Keeping On

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.Galatians 6:9
 "I give up! I can't do this! It's too hard!" Nick slammed his math book shut. I stopped washing dishes and sat down beside him. After helping him for about 20 minutes he hugged me. "Now I understand and it is not as hard as I thought." He gathered up his books and prepared for school the next morning. I sent him to the shower before he went to bed.
 After his shower and he had gone to bed, I sat down to relax a bit before I finished my nightly routine. I began to think about Nick and his homework. I realized that I too, want to give up and quit when success seems out of reach. Sometimes when I work on a goal and run into a brick wall I want to throw up my hands in despair. That is when I cry out to God, "Lord, this is too hard! I can't do it. You are asking too much from me." I often feel defeated before I start because I try to work in my own strength. Just when I feel overwhelmed with my endeavors, God speaks to my heart, "Child, I am here for you-- don't forget that you do not have to go alone in your own strength. I called you for a special purpose and I will go before you and equip you with all you need. Don't give up. You helped Nick with his homework and he knew you were there for him. I want you to know that I am here for you."
 I would like to say that all my doubts were wiped away but I can't. Doubts still come and I still get overwhelmed at times. I would like to say that I never want to give up and reach every goal I attempt without fear. Again I can't say that. I still have doubts about my ability but when these doubts do rear their ugly heads, I remember I don't have to face them alone. I have a loving and caring Father who will always be with me to help me keep on keeping on.
 When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could noy hang on one minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tides will change, Harriet Beecher Stowe

 Don't Quit
 Don't Quit no matter what!
 When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
 When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
 When funds are low and the debts are high,
 And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
 When care is pressing you down a bit,
 Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
 Life is queer with its twists and turns
 As every one of us sometimes learns,
 And many a failure turns about,
 When he might have won if he'd stuck it out.
 Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
 Often the goal is nearer than
 It seems to a faint and faltering man;
 Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
 And he learned too late,
 when the night slipped down
, How close he was to the golden crown.
 Success is failure turned inside out -
 The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
 And you never can tell how close you are -
 It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
 It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit. -

 by Author Unknown