Treasures in heaven.

 

Monday, September 25, 2023


Psalms 62; 63

1 Kings 13:1-19

Matthew 6:16-24


Observance: Sergius of Moscow, abbot and teacher (d. 1392)


Treasures in heaven.


The Lord Jesus is calling us to both a way of life as well as the place in which to live it. This place He speaks of, heaven, is not just a mindset. Being a “good person” (Luke 18:19) is more than a reward in itself – and the reward for doing good is more than being sent to a place where we don’t have to worry about doing good all the time.


Living in the way of the kingdom of heaven is a reward in itself, of course. But it is more than doing good so that good is done in return. And it is more than being freed of a guilty conscience from not being good enough. All of us mourn over evil, no matter how seemingly trivial. All of us yearn for an existence where evil is not only absent, but unheard of. Living in the way of the kingdom is a life where evil is a non-entity: a life where the word is not even known. Living in the way of the kingdom is the life of pure love, of unbridled joy.


Heaven is also a place, too. Jesus refers to heaven as a place explicitly (John 14:1-14). Jesus also teaches as if He assumes that we know this as a fact, not least of all in this series of teachings. Moths and rust destroy things that are not bound by love and do nothing for divine joy. But in the final consummation of God’s redemptive work, when this world will be overcome by the kingdom of heaven, and there will be no more tears, we will have treasures. Treasures beyond counting; treasures beyond keeping. Christ, and everything that He is and that He has, will be for those who are in Him. I am lord of my wallet; but Christ is Lord of me. My wallet will fall apart, and good riddance! But for those in Christ, all will be ours, and we will be His.

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