Treasure

 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.

When I was drinking, the drink was my treasure.

When I was a young adult, my kids were my treasure.

When I was a child, my dreams about growing up were my treasure.

Now that I’m older, a major treasure is my family.

But not totally. Even family can’t be everything. God is pointing me to a richer treasure. That treasure is investing in His kingdom through serving others. But it’s more than that. Giving to others and serving others is a wonderful thing, but those things I do for others out of necessity become routine and cumbersome. A true motive to serve comes from a merciful heart. God has that and He can give it to me. I believe a merciful heart has few expectations and is consumed with God’s unselfish love.  Mercy is an eternal gift. It goes beyond money or time or energy. An eternal gift would be remembered in heaven.  Kind words last forever. Encouragement isn’t easily forgotten. Pursuing the downtrodden is  how God operates. There is no way to put a price on the investment of treasure.  It can be costly to demonstrate love from my heart and from my spirit - especially when I have been accustomed to selfishness.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.   (Phil. 3:13)