… treasure in heaven … Matthew 19:21
“I’m not buying presents for her this year…”
My friend is angry.
“Why aren’t you buying presents for her?”I ask.
“Why not? I’ll tell you why not!”
“Last year she was gone on her birthday…”
“So I bought her a present …”
“I paid extra to have special wrapping…”
“I was house-sitting for her…”
“So the day before she came home, I put the present on her dining room table…”
“I even bought flowers for the table.”
“I made a whole production out of it…”
“But I never heard a word from her.”
“She never even said thank you.”
“Why should I give her anything if I can’t get even a thank you in return?”
Silently, I started to judge my friend…
Until I remembered all the times I’d done the same thing…
The times I’d given a gift to receive a thank you…
Given it to earn the praise of others…
Forgetting that the only praise that matters…
The only reward that is real…
Comes from God.
Forgetting what Jesus says about using good deeds to build up treasure in this world…
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1
Forgetting His teaching that the only real treasure is treasure in Heaven …
…store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20
Forgetting the example of God
Who gave His love and all the treasure in heaven to us …
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
