Ticket To Heaven

~~~ Ezekiel 24:15-23 ~~~ (Psalm) Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20-21 ~~~
~~~ Matthew 19:16-22 ~~~

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.

Jesus says to this young man that he needs to do more
 than keep the commandments.

He wants to enter into heaven. He wants to do the right thing.
He is seeking advice from Jesus, personal advice.

Have you ever asked for someone's opinion
 and then been less than pleased with their response?
This is the situation this poor young man
found himself in the middle of;
He thought he was doing pretty well.
He was keeping the laws sent down from God.

To attain entrance into the Kingdom of heaven
requires more than just being 'good'.
Apparently material things make it more difficult
 if not impossible to get to heaven.
Why do material possessions become obstacles to get into heaven?

Material possessions take up time and space.
It is important that material things not interfere
 with your relationship with God.
This is what Jesus is implying;
as long as material things are at the top of your list.

Perhaps this young man was immature and dazzled
 by all that he had been able to acquire.

Clearly he was not prepared to comply with what Jesus prescribed.

We cannot ignore the poor while continuing
 to collect more and more things for ourselves.

The needs of the poor must be addressed.
Jesus makes this very clear on several occasions.

The things we consider to be earthly treasures will mean
 nothing in the kingdom of heaven.

Why do we struggle to release our things?
Why do we continue to acquire more even when we do not need it.
How many things are we keeping in our homes
that we no longer use, much less need?

I am as guilty of this as the next person.
Giving up of our things to the poor is acting in the manner of Jesus.

Jesus does not tell this man that he must become destitute.
Jesus does not tell the man that he must become homeless.
Jesus does not tell the man that he must give up everything.
Jesus does tell this man that he should consider
 how his possessions are keeping him from getting to heaven. 

The real treasure lies in heaven.
The real treasure cannot be seen, heard, or held.
The real treasure is getting through the pearly gates.
The real treasure will not fit into a suitcase, or a safety deposit box.
The real treasure is not held in the local bank vault.
The real treasure has more to do with
 our faith and trust in Jesus.

Following Jesus should not be the cause for us
 to turn and walk away in sadness.

Blessed to know that acquiring material things
are not our ticket to heaven.

~~~Peace~~~

What Matters to God

~~~ Ephesians 2:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~ Luke 12:13-21 ~~~

 

What matters to God?

 

"...For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast."

 

 

If we do not have our priorities in the right order it matters little what we do.

Because what matters to God is often not what matters to us.

We saw a prime example of this just yesterday in the Gospel reading.

James and John wanted to sit on either side of Jesus;

hoping to be the beneficiaries of special favors.

 

Often the things that matter to God are not tangible.

Often the things that matter to God are from the heart.

Often the things that matter to God are not about us at all,

but rather about others.

 

Jesus came to restore us to himself.

God saw that humankind was struggling.

They were not able to determine

what really mattered to God.

God was not interested in the sacrifice of animals.

 

God was interested in us allowing him to be our shepherd.

 

"...we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them."

 

We do not need to build bigger barns to hold what matters to God.

God does not want us focus solely on our physical inheritance.

What matters to God is the inheritance he has prepared for us.

The inheritance given to because we belong to him.

He has claimed us for his own.

 

 

There is no need for us to hoard our material things.

In the heavenly kingdom material things matter not.

It is best if we do not lose sight of what matters to God.

Most of the saints had few possessions.

The saints practiced on keeping their priorities on God.

The saints provide models for each of us.

 

Material things are not bad in themselves;

it is the priority we place upon them in our life.

God will certainly not condemn us for prospering in this world,

but it is also our duty to prosper in what matters to God.

 

I does not matter to God if I have 20 pairs of shoes, but

it does matter to him if I spend 20 minutes in prayer

or extend kindness to 20 people this week.

 

Here is your challenge for this week:

For every pair of shoes you own make the effort to extend

a special greeting to

that many people.

Give to those individuals what matters to God the most...

Love.

Look for the Hidden Blessings

~~~ 1Cor 7:25-31 ~~~ Psalm 45 ~~~ Luke 6:20-26 ~~~

 

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:
"Blessed are you............"

 

Life is funny; the more you have the more you want.

There is always something more we can convince ourselves we 'need'.

 

The reading today focus on blessings.

Many famous and wealthy people are not happy with their life.

They have everything money can buy...houses, cars, exotic vacations,

cosmetic surgical procedures.

Yet the one thing they cannot seem to purchase is peace of heart.

 

We are being invited to day to look at our life from a different viewpoint.

That is; 'How is our life filled with blessings from God?'

 

God blesses each person according to their own needs.

It does not matter if you are married, single, widowed,

ruler, pauper, farmer, factory worker.

 

We all have blessings given just to us.

 

The readings today place our blessings in the balance scale.

So many times in my life God has surprised me with unexpected blessings.

Getting a new position at work, bringing a special person

into my life at just the right time,

showing me a solution to a problem are just a few examples.

 

Sometimes we cannot see our blessings until they disappear.

Once they are gone we realize

they were indeed a blessing we sadly took for granted.

When you are in turmoil it is much harder to see those blessings.

 

Why would someone who just lost all of their belongings

in a hurricane view it as blessing?

But surprisingly some are able to view even that situation as a blessing.

They are able to concentrate on what they do have;

mainly their life and the lives of loved ones.

 

Often what we perceive as the important blessings

turn out to be burdensome.

Luke is saying be aware that things have a way of changing.

Do not get caught up in believing your blessings

can or should only look a certain way.

Instead become a person who can weather all circumstances

with the focus on the all-inclusive blessings.

The package deal, blessings come with pain and sorrow.

 

"Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!

 

For you will truly realize just how blessed you are

if you can make all things blessings.

 

 

I friend once told me to look for the hidden blessings each day.

How wise are her words.

This is a much better way to live.

Having more and more material things does not give us a blessed life. 

 

There are blessings in your life right now...

some may be like tiny sparks while others may be larger than life itself.

Can you see them?

Will you look for them?

How will you respond to the blessings of today?

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:
"Blessed are you............"