God speaks but do we obediently hear?
Some of the most soothing words Jesus says to us are these: “Do not be anxious about your life... Life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Consider the ravens… God feeds them. Consider the lilies…. Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Your Father knows… Seek His kingdom and these things will be added to you.” (Excerpts from Luke 12:22-34)
Jesus wraps up those promises with something we easily skim over. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (12:34) He doesn’t say, “Where your heart is, your treasure will be also.” It’s our nature to put our feelings, our thoughts, our heart first, but the heart can be deceitful (Genesis 6:5). In fact, Jesus teaches that the heart is the source of all evil; see Mark 7:21-22. Instead of going from the inside out, from heart to treasure, Jesus says examine what it is outside of you that you value. Whatever your external treasure, Jesus promises your heart will follow.
When I hosted the television show, “On Main Street” for Lutheran Hour Ministries, I interviewed a couple that was struggling with financial problems. A financial adviser counseled the couple to cut up their credit cards and emphasized the point by pulling out a pair of scissors. Well, they did cut up their cards but you could see on their faces that they didn’t want to. They were caught between the ingrained habits of their heart and the treasure of living debt free. Whether it’s money or time or some other worry, are you struggling between the habits of your heart and true treasure? If you are, thank God and pray for more Spirit-led struggle! Jesus promises that your Father knows. He will provide.