Wednesday 23 October 2013

Read: Ecclesiastes 5:13-17, Matthew 6:19-24

Have you ever spent a long time slaving over a meal in the kitchen only to not be able to eat it? You work so hard to make sure the meal is just right, carefully stirring so that it doesn't burn and adding just the right herbs and spices but something goes wrong. Maybe you drop the plates right as you are serving up and your whole meal goes on the floor. Maybe you turn your back for just a little too long and the whole thing ends up burnt and inedible. Maybe you have to leave for some kind of emergency and when you return the food has been ruined. How disappointing is it when you cannot enjoy all that you have worked for and it just goes to waste.

Riches are like such a meal. Sure, they provide temporary pleasure during the process (like enjoying little tastes of your meal) but in the end, you cannot enjoy them. When you die those riches and wealth cannot go with you and they will be left to someone else.

Solomon laments this same thing here in Ecclesiastes 5, "Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs." The man who anxiously toiled and worked so hard to accumulate worldly wealth can take nothing with Him and he loses all of it. "What does he gain since he toils for the wind?"

How often do we toil for the wind? We strive for all sorts of things that may provide temporary pleasure and satisfaction but that we can never take with us. We work to acquire a nice car, a nice house, fancy clothes and all the latest gadgets. We anxiously work ourselves into the ground for rewards that will never last beyond the grave. We are spending all our efforts and energies on a meal that will ultimately end up on the floor.

Jesus provides an alternative investment plan in Matthew 6. Rather than store up treasures for ourselves here on Earth we are to store up treasures in heaven, eternal treasures that can never be lost. Storing up treasures in heaven is like making that meal with the full assurance that it will never spill, be burnt or spoil. It is striving for things that will not be lost or left behind once we die but that we can enjoy forever with Christ. Hallelujah!

How do we strive for such treasures? Rather than grow our own little empires we use our time, our finances, our skills and abilities and all we have to serve God and to grow His kingdom. We pour all we have and all we are into Christ and into His mission knowing that His mission and purposes will never fail. We live our lives for Him and His glory knowing that He is the God who has conquered sin and death and can never be defeated.

It is never striving after the wind to spend all our effort and toil for the sake of His kingdom. Only then are we guaranteed a lasting and valuable reward.

Prayer: Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

• Pray for the elders of your church. Pray that God would guide them and give them great wisdom as they seek to lead, encourage and serve the church. Pray that God would place on their heart a passion to seek those who are lost without Christ. Pray that they might have understanding and wisdom as they make decisions for the spiritual growth of Jesus' church.
• Pray for all those who are poor and oppressed around the world. Pray that they might find their hope and strength in Christ. Pray that God would raise up Christians around the world who fight for the oppressed and who provide for the poor. Pray that God would stir your heart to how you can serve those who are in need. Praise God that one day perfect justice will be achieved when He returns.

My Additional Prayer Points

1. 2.

Discussion Questions for families and groups

1. It is very easy to forget about our eternal future and focus on our wants and desires here in the present. How can you remember to keep an eternal perspective?
2. What can you do today to store up treasures in heaven rather than treasures on Earth?

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