LET GO!

I read this wonderful quote from the godly missionary, Jim Elliot, this morning: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Those words made me think about what I am hanging on to that might hinder me from growing spiritually, serving sacrificially, and cause me to worry senselessly!  Some lessons that Jesus taught come to my mind as I ponder letting go of things.

Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)
¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.
²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Lesson to remember: My earthly treasures are uncertain and tentative…you never know when your car will be totaled; your house will be robbed; the stock market will plummet downward…. 

Lesson to remember:  My heavenly treasures are secured in God Himself – no chance of losing them… these are the investments I make that have eternal spiritual value :

§         A gift to someone in need…. These gifts can include gifts of time, work, and prayer as well as of money and physical goods.

§         Any selfless deed of kindness, consideration, and thoughtfulness for another person.

§         My own practices of spiritual disciplines…time spent in prayer, meditation, Bible study, and worship.

§         Simplifying my own lifestyle and my own needs.  I cannot possibly give more to God, to fellow Christians, and to the needy without self-denial and self-sacrifice.

Lesson to remember: My earthly treasures are subject to putting first things first..

Jesus is not telling us to never save money for the future or to have no assets and “treasures” in our homes that we value.  He is telling us that money and possessions cannot be more important than the kingdom of God!

Lesson to remember: What I hold most dear is what controls me

My mind, my emotions, and my actions are controlled by what I treasure the most. I must honestly ask myself is anything more important to me than my relationship with the Lord?

Lesson to remember:  I store treasures in heaven by focusing on things that have eternal value…  three things come to mind:

1) Tithing my money

2)  Sharing Jesus with others

3)  Obeying God

The rewards of letting go of things are many but joy and contentment rank high among them!

Joyfully,

Yvonne