Fasting Devotional Day Twelve: Thursday, January 13, 2022 Text: Matthew 6:19-21
By Bill Brod
Thoughts:
In His sermon on the mount, Jesus cautions us not to store up treasures on earth but instead “store up treasures in heaven.” Two questions immediately come to mind in this passage, what are my treasures and how can I store and get credit for them in Heaven? The world, as communicated via social media, plainly defines treasures as material possessions, fame, and accomplishments. But none of these are credited to our account in Heaven. The best way to understand heavenly fortune is to know what God values as treasure.
When asked “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
There it is…we know through Jesus that God treasures love more than anything else! But how to store and get credit for it? As crazy as it sounds, you store it and get heavenly credit for love…by giving it away!
There are five different ways of expressing love: words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch with no expectation of receiving something in return.
We store up treasure in heaven by loving God and loving others, which demonstrates the greatest of all sacrifices that God made for us, His son Jesus Christ!
Challenge:
This week, make a point to deliberately express your love to someone outside of your love comfort zone. Some examples could include a homeless person, someone who has wronged you or that you don’t necessarily like, someone at church that you’ve not met before. Do it with a sincere heart and no expectation of receiving something in return. My prayer is your expression of love will make their day better and, in the process, you will treasure the moment and receive heavenly credit at the same time!