The Bible says where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
If your heart is in football, your wallet will follow. You won’t mind giving $10,000 to watch a 3 hour game next Sunday of grown men fighting over a ball they can all afford to buy on their own.
And if Jesus has your heart, your wallet will follow. You might be like the woman who broke the alabaster box and anointed Jesus. You might be like Moses who the Bible says in Hebrews 11:24 to 26,
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
The bible says to set our affections on things above instead of things on this earth.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
LAY UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN.
And you start laying them up AT SALVATION,
NOT FOR SALVATION.
Many of us are stuck in the rat race, trying not to get stepped on and afraid to lose our place on the ladder.
Many don’t want to gain the whole world, but many are in the Mark 4:19 category:
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
1st Timothy 6:9
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Often salvation hits the down and outs. They wake up in the hog pen and suddenly come to their senses. They see their need, they see they have made a mess of their lives, and they have no problem admitting they have a problem. They have been humbled by the circumstances of life.
The up and outs are in the same position but they have chosen the acceptable ways of filling the void only Jesus can truly fill. They fill it up with stuff and work and business and busyness and everything and anything but Jesus. They might spread their addictions into manageable and culturally acceptable addictions. Sometimes not enough to lose everything except for the occasional marriage or that close-call or one Holiday outburst. Just not enough to run to Jesus and just enough to keep them trying to keep everything together in their own strength.
A problem with the down-and-outs is they will at times think they must punish themselves and they can’t forgive themselves and they can have trouble believing Jesus would love them. The up and outs will have trouble thinking that Jesus wouldn’t be honored to have them in heaven. They want to earn it, like everything else they did.
God often must get them to the place of brokenness to see their need. God must convict them of their sin and selfishness and pride. Pride will send many, many to hell.
I did it my way, is the theme song of most of America.
Jesus will save not only the Down-And-Outs but the Up-and-Outs.
America has many folks climbing the ladder to success but only the few that actually reach the top realize it is facing the wrong wall.
The bible asks what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his own soul?
It is harder to be saved when you are satisfied with life.
Jesus is not saying he doesn’t want the rich. But he wants the rich to see God isn’t impressed and see that all the money in the world cannot save you on Judgment Day.
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
That is why the bible says to instead LAY UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN.
You start laying them up AT SALVATION,
NOT FOR SALVATION.
If you have some change in your pocket, and a few dollars in your bank account, statistics show you are richer than 98% of the world.
And if you are rich, realize without JESUS, you are of the UP and OUT.