Good Treasure

Have you ever attended a funeral?  I just attended my second one in two months.  In both services there was a common theme.  People got up and talked about the lives of these women and how they loved God and served him.  They had raised their children to know God and serve him.  They loved and served others and pointed them to God.  I sat there listening with a strong desire to live my life this way.  I want to leave a legacy like that.  When it is my turn to go, and someone plans to speak at my funeral, I want the first thing they think of when they think of me, to be “She loved God, she loved her family and and she loved people, and her life was spent walking out that love.”  What do you want people to say about you?

Luke 6:45 “The good person, out of the good treasure of his heart, produces good, and the evil person, out of the evil treasure of his heart, produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

This verse speaks of treasure and abundance. It causes me to stop and ask myself, “What is the treasure in my heart?” “What are the most important things in my heart?”  “What is there an abundance of?”  What about you? What are the first two or three things that come to your mind, that you love most?  For me, there are many things that fill my heart and my life.  I think it’s probably safe to say we all have good and a little evil in there too. The question here is “What is the treasure and what is abundant?”   If after some self reflection, we wouldn’t like how hard someone would have to work to say good things about us at our funeral, then we need to figure out how to get more of that good treasure in our hearts.

Psalm 119:11 “Your words have I treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Matthew 6:20 “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” vs 21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

The treasures in our heart, are the things that are most important to us. They are what we love most, think about most, do the most.  There is nothing wrong with enjoying the things of this world.  God made them to bring us pleasure, but not to be our treasure.  I love to travel, probably more than any other pleasure this world Has to offer.  I enjoy it most, when I can do it with people I love.  I love to share a beautiful view,  a good glass of wine and great conversation with a friend or loved one.  I enjoy pretty things.  All of that is ok, as long as it isn’t the first things that pop into my head when I think of what is most important to me.  What should fill up the abundance of my life, should be the time I spend with God, “Your Words have I treasured in my heart” and the time I spend with my family and others, loving them and serving them.  What takes up the abundance of your time? Luke 6:45 “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”    We do what we care about.

Self reflection is a good thing.  I know there are some adjustments I want to make in my life.  How about you? Do your treasures have an eternal legacy?  What do you want your life to speak?  One day when someone sifts through the story of our lives, what will the abundance of it look like?  No one is perfect, least of all me, but I want the abundance of my life to be spent loving and serving God and others.  I want to produce good. I want to make a positive difference in the lives of those I come in contact with.  Let’s leave this world and the people in it, better for having known us.

I love this song.  It is an oldie but a goodie!