Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
7 26 2024

Audio Version

The Bible says “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”  It appears in Matthew 6:21. Some say this verse suggests that it’s important to identify what a persons values are and what they are passionate about. These values and passions can include: 
Honesty, Relationships, Serving others, Valuing family, and Building community.

The truth in this scripture does more than just move us…it’s a warning, made implicitly clear later in the chapter.   If our treasures are in the idols of this world?  If they are anything that usurps the sovereignty and worship of our God…  Anything and Everything that does that… then we have chosen the wrong door.  It doesn’t matter if you know Jesus died for your sins and suffered for us to be free. 
Even Satan knows that but it hasn’t changed him.  Jesus certainly is NOT the Lord of His life.  
If that truth and that faith is not represented in our daily lives…if it isn’t something transparent to those around us… it’s a lie.  I know that’s a strong word.  We don’t mean it to be that way. 
But choosing Christ is an intentional act.  Love is a verb.  It must take action. 
If we love the world and its goods… it is apparent to everyone you are a workaholic. 
You are too busy to make church a priority…too pressured to set up boundaries and make time for Jesus, your marriage, your children.  In that order.  I pray you are listening.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”  

Let’s filter that in the critical areas of living:

Honesty:  Is honesty a treasure and a value you use to honor God?  It isn’t just a word we use…It has feet and a mouth.  It shows itself in the little things that other people notice.  We know when we are twisting the truth… we know when we have tilted something to our gain, with just a little exaggeration or just a small white lie.  Could one possibly think that God doesn’t notice.

Relationships: How well do you love?  Really… examine the fruit…what does it tell you?  What does it tell others?  The Bible tells us that Love is the foundation of all relationships.  It is at the heart of the two greatest commandments.  Love God with all your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself.  Relationship is so much more than a casual word.  It entails welcoming God and people into our lives.  Participating in the mission and vision that God has for us and being involved at a grass roots level in our family and friends lives.

Serving others:  “This world in its present form is passing away”  1 Cor 7:31  When we take our last breath, earthly treasures won’t matter anymore.  Impressing our peers is a dead thing. But when our focus becomes more and more on focusing on eternity.  What we can do to give ourselves away to those around us.  Putting ourselves at the foot of the table not the head, changes lives.  It gives others the example of Jesus in us.  It encourages them by the way you lifted them up and who you gave the credit of the changes in your life to.

Valuing Family:  I know a person who seems to always speak about how much family means to them.  But I rarely see them exemplify that with the time they give to family.  Showing up for important events.  There are always more important things that need doing.  I know there are occasional matters that do come up but his lack of showing up is prevalent.  Their hearts are caught up in the cares of this world.

Building community:  The currency of heaven is what to you?  What is the price of a lost soul.  Especially a son or daughter… a parent or a friend.  But to God his heart breaks over every one.  Our treasure keeps us anchored on the things we esteem and value.  Earthly or Eternal.  It’s the choices we make to play with the toys of the earth or choose to see the eternal purpose of a loving God.   Choosing to invest in things of eternal value in our church, our neighborhood and in our sphere of influence, however small or large it is.  It changes others but it changes us more.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”  
We’ll all give an account one day for each action we make. Roman 14:12 
Every loose and idle word. Matt 12:36  There are no get out of jail free cards…but one. 
The Salvation Jesus brought to earth for each of us that will choose His love…His eternity!  
Each of us will one day answer for all.  No exceptions.   In Luke 16: 19-31 you’ll remember about the rich man and the beggar.  The wealthy man invested his life in luxury and pleasures and cared very little for the things we have spoken of here. When he died, his riches could not follow him.  His life choices prepared him for Hell nor Heaven.  After death he would have given it all for a drop of water,
but his seed had been invested elsewhere.

One day the world applauded Jesus and wanted to crown him king  John 6:15  and the next even his disciples were turning their backs on him and flat our deserted him.
Look, intellectually we may be aware of how short our time is here, but most of the time we don’t live like that.  We seem more focused on the decisions and choices that benefit us now vs the ones that echo eternity.  It is clearly impossible to separate our treasures from our hearts. 
Meaning anything we get attached to. The sermon the mounts in Matt 5,  clearly describes how we must operate differently from the principles and justice of the world.  It describes being salt and light, teaches us about prayer and fasting and talks about money and what possesses us.

So in closing,  what have you become a slave to? In vs 31-33 he makes it crystal clear. “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” In 1 Tim 6:17 he says  “They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life”

Lauren Daigle Wordless