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

In 2020, at the peak of COVID-19,  many people lost their lives and others lost their sources of livelihoods.  Many companies had to shut down and others had to cut down the number of workers so they could still thrive. While governments in developed countries made provisions for furloughed workers, the story was different  in developing countries. Although I lived in the West with my family,  we had made investments in our home country. Within a single day, we lost everything we had saved over the years. I was shattered. My heart was broken and the pain was unbearable. My husband had to encourage me with scriptures and it took a while to heal. The Lord opened my eyes to the fact that my treasures were stored on earth and I need to have a change in mindset. 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)

The Lord wants us to invest as we will see in future blogs.  He wants us to be dutiful and engaged in different ventures. He wants us to learn the ways to be successful in life. There are several scriptures attesting to that. But, He warns us about the risk of having our hope in our earthly investment. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21). How do we store treasures in heaven? Are there banks that accept heavenly investments?

Jesus is aware of the fact that we put our hope in our possessions and these can be lost, destroyed or stolen. However, we should be rich in things of eternal value.  We should be rich in faith, rich in love for one another,  rich in doing good, rich in righteousness, rich in peace, rich in the Word, etc. There are several eternal rewards for believers and these are based on the way we live our lives in preparation for eternity. These rewards are of eternal value and do not depreciate because of the stock market. How are we using the money to secure eternal treasures? Our tithes, freewill offerings, donations to the poor, widows and orphans, contribution to church activities, etc. are of eternal value. Imagine the soul that will be won because you contributed to missionary work! 

It is good to have investments on earth but your heart should be in your eternal treasures.  

Anyone who is among the living has hope!

Yesterday, my phone went black.  The screen got shattered  and had ink all over. I couldn’t see anything and I had two options; either to repair the broken phone (which is still on contract) or buy a new phone.  None of the options was expected and I had not budgeted for any.  However, after weighing the cost of the repair and the price of getting a simple replacement phone,  I chose the latter. I bought a  new phone but I cannot access any of the stored photos and videos.  I was sad. Then the person at the phone shop said, you can connect the old phone to a laptop and retrieve your photos and videos.  I was so relieved.  I have not tried it yet, if it doesn’t work, it will be taken as one of those things that cannot be retrieved.

Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! (Ecclesiastes 9:4)

Imagine losing a human life! Unlike a phone,  it can be repaired or you can get a new one. However, not everything is repairable. For “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:27‭-‬28). The teacher says in the book of Ecclesiastes (9:4) that, “Anyone who is among the living has hope–even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!” Jesus is coming to judge both the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1). None has a second chance after death.  We can only make it right with the Lord while we are alive. 

Remember, none of our assets and qualifications have eternal value.  No one is buried together with houses and cars, and even if all your certificates and awards are buried with you, it will be chewed by rodents. The value of your soul cost God to send His begotten Son to die (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). The living has hope, the dead without Christ are hopeless. Make that choice now while you are alive.  Heaven is real and hell is real. Jesus is coming soon. There is no repair shop in the land of the dead to fix you back to the land of the living.  Be ready! 

Read these verses to help you understand what God has done for us. 

John 1:12; John 3: 16, Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8; Roman 10: 9-10.

I am coming soon

John the revelator received divine access to heaven and there the book of revelation was revealed. I once watched a debate between a Christian and an unbeliever. The unbeliever made mockery of the book of Revelation. According to that person, the things written in the book are unreasonable and cannot be true. The person further argued that John made up the story and used wild imagery to confuse the readers. I felt so sad for this unbeliever and I wondered where he will be if Christ shall return. The things written in the book of Revelation are true and will surely come to pass. Therefore, we need to be watchful and ready at all times. Jesus is coming soon!

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.(Revelation 3:11)

The Lord through John delivered a message to the church in Philadelphia. The Lord Jesus told the church that He is coming soon so the people should hold on to what they have, so that no one will take their crown. In case we think that this message was for only the Philadelphia church, we are mistaken. Indeed Jesus is coming soon and we will receive crowns of glory. We have also been warned to hold on to what we have so no one takes our crown. The implication of this is that there is a possibility of falling from grace and losing our crown of glory. Therefore, we should live consciously each day reflecting the life of Christ. No worker works and at the end of the day refuses to be paid. In the same way, we cannot accept Jesus Christ and miss out in eternal bliss.

As the Lord tarries, let us be mindful of the world and the things that easily lead to corruption. If Jesus says He is coming soon or quickly and it has been 2000 years, we should not be bothered at all. “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”(2 Peter 3:8‭-‬9). In the sight of the Lord, 2000 years is like 2 days. Therefore He is not slow and wants us to evangelize to the whole world so all come to repentance. Even if it takes 10,000 years or more, we should not be bothered because 10,000 years is just 10days in the sight of the Lord.

The gift of God and the wages of sin: The choice is ours!

Living in a country with various extreme weather conditions, I don’t think I would like to wake up every morning and go through the different weather conditions to work and expect no wage. No! Imagine walking through a snowstorm with a temperature of about -20 Degree Celsius and not getting any salary. No one wants to be exploited whether in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Oceania or Europe. Every worker deserves a pay that is good! Bringing this real-life scenario helps us understand the importance of getting what you deserve. Similarly, when we live our lives in sin, it also comes with a payment. In Romans 6:23 we are told that the wages (payment/salary) for living a sinful life is death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.(Romans 6:23)

This wage seems so unfair. After all, it is our lives and we can live how we choose to live. No way! If we create a product and design a manual of use, anytime the product works contrary to its design, we know that there is a failure somewhere. We try to fix this issue the best way we can. No man is an island and no man stands as a unique entity. That is the reason world organisations and nations put sanctions on individuals and countries that misbehave even in their own territories. We are connected. If sin is payable by death, then what is the opposite of living right? Contrary to the wage given by sin, eternal life is a gift of God. It is not our wage. This implies that naturally, we are undeserving of it but God gives us eternal life as a gift.

Is this a gift for everyone? The gift is for everyone but only those who come to Christ and live a Christlike life have this gift. This gift is accessible only through Jesus Christ. In other words, you cannot have eternal life without passing through Jesus. From the words of Jesus, we know that He is the way, the truth and the life and no one goes to the Father without passing through Jesus (John 14:16). As children of God, we have been presented with this gift and the choice is ours; whether we will go for the wages of our sinful nature or we will enjoy the gift of life. Eternal life is in Christ Jesus alone (John 6:51; John 11:25) and not in any act of the flesh.

We have been presented with a wage that leads to death and a gift that leads to life. The decision we make now will determine our eternal home. We have been presented with life and death (Deuteronomy 30:15) but for us, let us choose to serve the Lord.
We don’t want to work all our lives for a wage that leads to death but rather live for the gift that leads to eternal life.

Whoever does the will of God lives forever

Different religions have different views about life after death. Some believe that our state after death depends on the lives we lived while we were on earth, others believe that we return as animals but whether you return as an annoying mosquito or a lovely dog depends on how you lived. Christians have hope beyond this life. Paul states that “if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied”
(1 Corinthians 15:19). We have hope of a glorious life after death. Remember, this world is transient and it is passing away together with all it desires. However, whoever does the will of God lives forever.

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)

This hope is our comfort that our family members in Christ who have passed on to glory are the church triumphant now. They are cheering us on while we do this race of life. One musician sang a song about being forever young. So far, no cosmetic is able to keep one alive and young forever. When we grow older, the body naturally adjusts to our age. We can cover the outward view with make-up but we can never cover the internals. The only way to secure a forevermore life of bliss is in Christ. Jesus Christ promised us that, “I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3).

The only way to live forever is to do the will of God. God desires all men to come to the saving knowledge of Christ. God wants all men to live a Christlike life. God wants all men to live a life without blemishes. God wants all men to be saved! Through Jesus, God has made salvation accessible to mankind. John 3:16 noted that whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have life everlasting. Everything happening around is an indication that this world is fleeting. The world and all its desires will pass away but the words of Jesus will never pass away (Matthew 24:35).

Have you made that decision to accept the Lord as your Saviour yet?

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9‭-‬10)

Christlikeness: Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory

The early Church was persecuted at all sides. They were beaten, imprisoned, destitute, harassed, banished, and sometimes killed. Paul considers these trials as light and momentary troubles. Reading this verse in the 21st century, one is tempted to ask, “how can these troubles be considered light?” However, Paul was aware of the weight of the glory that is ahead of him. Considering the eternal glory in the face of the troubles, the troubles were just light and momentary. It is mind blowing to fully understand what the Church is being transformed into. Imagine an eternity of bliss!!!

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

The 21st century church is without its own light and momentary troubles. In some nations of the world, Christians are persecuted to the point of death. In advanced countries, Christians are afraid to express their views on certain topics for fear of being tagged with names. The workplace has become more and more stifling towards Christians and this has led most believers to “lie low” for fear of losing their jobs. Even family and parenting have not been spared. It is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate through the educational systems without brainwashing. What do we do?

Jesus gave us a heads up when he stated that “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16 NKJV). As we aim to attain the full measure of Christ in a fallen world, we should know that it calls for us to apply wisdom. We should apply wisdom gained from the word of God to navigate through our light and momentary troubles. Sometimes it feels like you are all alone, but know that we surrendered by a cloud of witnesses (See Heb. 11-12) who are cheering us on to victory. The weight of eternal glory cannot be compared to our light troubles. If you feel like giving up, reach out to your family in the Lord for comfort and assistance.

Know that you are not alone. God is with you, Jesus Christ is interceding for you and the Holy Spirit is your daily comfort. We have an eternal glory that outweighs our momentary troubles. Be encouraged and do not lose hope. This world is not our final destination, Christ is preparing us for an eternity with Him. Hallelujah!

Christlikeness: Preparing for eternal life

I was a member of my Sunday School choir and one of our favorite songs we mostly ministered was titled “After death”. I doubt if we really understood the song or if as kids we loved the song because of the tempo of the music. Anyway, below are the lyrics of “After death”.
“After the death, we shall be transported by the Lord, through the skies into heaven
Oh holiday
Holidays (response)
Eternal
Eternally (response)
And we will be singing, Merry making everyday on the street of gold
Oh holiday
Eternally

I can confirm that this song was ministered on different platforms and during Sunday school musicals. Everyone loved “After death” but I guess none of us really appreciated the details of the song. The knowledge that the death of the believer is the beginning of an eternal abode in glory should motivate us to daily live to reflect Christ. I am aware that some people believe that a loving God will not prepare a place of torment for the people He has created. This illusion has made many people live careless lives. In their minds, all is over after death. Some even believe that they will return to the earth as different creatures depending on how they lived.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.(1 John 5:11)

However, those of us who believe in Christ have this testimony, God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Heaven is real and so is Hell. If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ, know that you are expected to live in preparation for an eternal holiday. There will be singing and merry making everyday forevermore. We will walk on the street of gold everyday forevermore. We will be worshipping God everyday forevermore. Preparing for this eternal holiday begins now. Do not wait to be ready when you are old. Ecclesiastes 12:1 reminds us to remember our Creator in the days of our youth before the days of evil come.

People with an eternity mindset live their lives to please the Lord. They do not conform to the standards of the world; the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. They look heavenward and live each day as the day of the Lord’s coming. They love unconditionally and they understand the times and the season. They daily search the scriptures to know the mind of God. They also share God’s love with others.