Tues, August 6

“Sell your possessions, and give to the poor.”
After assuring his followers that they are recipients of all that the Maker of heaven and earth has to offer – quite an extravagant gift, right? – that’s the next nugget of advice Jesus gives his followers.

“Sell your possessions, and give to the poor?” Easy for you to say, Jesus – you didn’t have any possessions. Oh wait, you were a carpenter, weren’t you, and – oh yeah, you walked away from your home and your trade…

The way of following Jesus is probably a lot simpler and richer when we’re unburdened from possessions and all the responsibility they entail. Still, the idea of giving away everything we own is so radical and unthinkable to many of us, we stop listening right there, feeling either affronted or condemned. I do not believe God is interested in condemning or insulting us. God is interested in loving us into wholeness. So let’s breathe, feel our feelings, and read on.

Jesus suggests we invest not in things that pass away, “purses that wear out.” (Guess he never heard of a Coach bag, huh? …OMG, my first Daily Word product placement! Maybe I can monetize this baby…) Instead, he suggests we build our IRAs on eternal funds. And then comes the “money shot” – “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

They say the quickest way to see what our priorities in life are is to look at our bank statement and our calendar. Where we put our time and money tells us what we care most about – or what we worry most about. When we do that analysis, we often find that our highest priorities don’t have enduring value. Our to-do lists, our bank balances, our career moves, the things we buy for our houses – they might matter, but not as much as we seem to think in the moment. When we step back and include God in the picture, those emphases often begin to shift, and we live into a gradual simplifying of our lives as we reorder our priorities God-ward.

Jesus’ principle is also true when we flip it – where our heart is, there will our treasure be also. As we cultivate our relationship with God in Christ, the things and people that matter to God start to matter more to us. Giving to help children we've never met in other lands starts to seem more important than acquiring yet another glittering piece of electronica.

Today, I invite you to take a few minutes and draw a treasure map (did you do that when you were a kid?) Draw where your treasure is today – and label it.
Where in the picture is your treasure? What do you spend most of your money, time and anxiety on?
Where in the picture is your heart? What do you most delight in?
Where in the picture is God? Do you want to turn your heart more God-ward?
What in that picture do you want to chat with God about? What does God say?

However these answers come to you, remember this: YOU are God’s treasure, God’s delight – and so you know that you are in the heart of God. Walk today like you know that.