eternity

Where is My Heart Today?

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For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 
Matthew 6:21

Monday to Friday my boss always followed the same routine. He’d unlock the office, make a pot of coffee, and with his first cup in hand, he’d check the Wall Street Journal to see how his investments were doing. Of course, today you could just open an app on your cell phone, but the idea remains the same. We focus each day on what we have invested in.

Every morning God gives us a treasure of incalculable worth – 24 hours. As we open our eyes and take our first breath, we begin to invest the treasure of our time. Some good investments are simple, like praying, reading the Bible or kissing our children good-bye before they head off to school. But there have been some days when I faced complex responsibilities, frustrating conflicts, and unexpected difficulties, that things just began to spin out of my control.

Will I still spend time listening to my child talk about their day when I am tired and late for an appointment? Am I still ready to apologize for harsh words I said to my wife this morning? Did I congratulate the person who got the promotion I was hoping for? Each time we choose other people and God’s plan over ours, we are investing in things that have eternal value. Every visit to a hospital room, every need quietly met, every tear shed in prayer are investments in things we may never see or touch while here on earth. Every one of our hours, minutes and seconds that pass through our hands will be spent by the time the day is done. Jesus said that how we choose to invest them will determine where our hearts will be. As we drift off to sleep, maybe we should ask ourselves, “Where was my heart today?”

Jail Break

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If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 ESV

Though the maximum security, Altiplano jail was constructed with high walls, plenty of razor ribbon and a high tech security system, in 2015, Mexican Drug Lord Joaquin Guzman, made headlines by breaking out. When the astonishing details were revealed, we learned that he had escaped through a tunnel his associates had dug, complete with lights, ventilation and a rail system that led to a building project, almost a mile away.

But Jesus offers us a freedom that is far better than the one which Joaquin Guzman experienced (After all he was captured just 5 months later). The freedom that Jesus gives is one for which He paid a price far higher than Guzman had paid his workers to build the tunnel. Jesus suffered and died a terrible death on the cross, paying for our escape with His own blood. But sadly, there are times when we Christians sometimes dig a tunnel with our bare hands, that leads straight back to the maximum security prison of sin. We speed along the rail system of selfish choices that ends in the small dark cell block of separation from God. But today’s verse tells us that does not need to be the end of our story. All hope is not lost, because if we will simply turn to Jesus, confess our sins and ask forgiveness, He is faithful and just to forgive us again and again, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and restore us to the freedom of heaven where we will live with Him forever!

Photo by Aaron Burden on Pexels.com

The Desires of My Heart

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4 KJV

Often, I have taken this to simply mean that, if I make God my greatest desire, then He will give me anything else that I want. While this may be partly true, it misses the beauty which another translation reveals when it says, “Let your happiness be in the Lord”. In other words, when, the Lord is our greatest delight and happiness, then He makes a way for us to find Him!

Picture a young couple in love. One evening at a fancy restaurant, the man puts his plan into motion. After enjoying a delicious dinner and once the waiter has cleared the table, he falls to his knees, pulls a diamond ring from his pocket, and with tears streaming down his face he publicly proposes to the love of his life. At that moment, he has made her, his greatest delight. Now, hopefully, the lovely young lady responds with a joyful yes, and seeing that touching moment and the other diners erupt into applause. Yet our young friend has not yet reached his goal. Instead, plans are set in motion, invitations must be sent, a hall rented, and a date agreed upon by their parents, pastor and families. By faith, both of these people in our story are incredibly happy as they anticipate their wedding, But, when that day arrives, they will say their vows, exchange rings, kiss and walk out of the church for the first time as husband and wife.

Their joy is just a tiny picture of all that God has in store for us. For of course, Jesus is the groom in our story. He has publicly displayed His love, not at a 5-star restaurant, but on the cross. He has fallen to His knees, washed our feet and pledged all He is and all He has to us for all eternity. If we will say yes, then plans will be put into motion, guests invited, and a date set on which will be joined together forever. In our daily lives, we have a joy, because we trust that He is a good and loving God. He is our most valuable treasure and the ultimate love of our lives. Even better than this, we eagerly look forward to when all we have longed for will come to pass. Vows will be fulfilled, and a celebration like no other will happen on that day at His side when He will fully grant us the desires of our hearts!