YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON ETERNAL TREASURE.
PART 2:
From Perishable to Imperishable
Have you ever considered that everything you and I can see and touch is ultimately
going to pass away? We live in a perishable world; it is all subject to decay and
destruction. That's a sobering thought! However, the things of heaven are
imperishable; they will last forever! And we can store up our true treasure in heaven.
Jesus said, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal" (Matthew 6:20, NASB). Do you
want to be rich in the next world, the real world, the world that will last forever? If so,
you need to be actively converterlating the perishable items of this world into the
perishable treasures of the world to come.
Converterlators understand that we all live in a time bubble that can pop in this perishing
world at any time. When that happens we will find ourselves in a totally different
paradigm. The wise person realizes that in the end, all of our earthly time, talent, and
treasure is going to perish. The apostle Paul made this point clear when he said, "For we
brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it" (1 Timothy 6:7).
Think of it, everything we know and love about this world will eventually be gone!
This eternal focus was at the core of Paul's teaching. He set his eyes and his heart on the
eternal because he knew that the world as we know it is temporary and wasting away.
Paul's eyes were fixed on eternity, and he conducted his life accordingly.
Each one of us has to make a choice: Do
we want to enjoy life within the Lord's
framework so our lives can echo into
eternity, or are we going to live our lives
dedicated to the temporary values of this
perishing world?
As we study the Bible, we discover we
are in the middle of two totally different
value systems that are striving to win our
commitment and loyalty. The first is
what we call the perishable world system,
and the second is the imperishable eternal realm. Paul tells us,
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to
put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,
who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them
to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to
share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm
foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is
truly life.
—1 Timothy 6:17–19
The world system is doing everything it can to consume all of our temporary time, talent,
and treasure, enticing us to invest all of them into stuff, activity, and experiences that in
the end of life will have no eternal value. For the most part, the world system is held
together by force, greed, and power. It caters to developing a self-centered life, a self-first
mindset; it is bent on finding significance in power, fame, status, and accumulation of
wealth. A wrong emphasis on these things often destroys the lives of people and their
loved ones.
Self, fame, status, personal wealth: these often become idols in the lives of many people,
even those who profess to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. These
things take the place that God should have in our lives. In many instances the world.
system emphasizes striving to get more for doing less. Get as much stuff as you can so
you can retire from work and have a life of ease doing what you want to do when you
want to do it. It does everything it can to keep us from
thinking about the eternal aspect of life.
On the other hand, we have the value system of the
heavenly realm revealed to us by the person of Jesus Christ emphasizing a life of love,
giving, and serving. This involves work that leads to glorifying God, building treasure for
oneself in the next world, and living a life of fulfillment in this world as well. Jesus
Christ came into this world not only to save us from separation from God for eternity; he
also came into the world to save us from wasting our lives while we are here in this
world.
True Purpose
God intends for us to work while we are still in this world, "For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should
walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10, ESV).
Everything you and I can see and touch is ultimately going to pass away. Our time, talent,
and treasure from a value standpoint will expire when we do. In eternity they will do us
no good. We are forced to spend and use them while we are here on this side of eternity.
We are like the shopper who has won a contest and is allowed to buy as many groceries
as she can within a short period of time. When the time expires, the shopping spree ends.
Gold and all worldly wealth are going to perish like everything else. The Bible tells us:
They will throw their silver into the streets,
And their gold will be like refuse;
Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them
In the day of the wrath of the Lord;
They will not satisfy their souls,
Nor fill their stomachs,
Because it became their stumbling block of iniquity.
However, although all worldly wealth is going to perish, the Bible tells us that the Word
of God will never pass away, and we also know that the soul of each person is going to
exist forever in either heaven or hell. This is good
news; we have the opportunity to make a difference
beyond this perishing world!
Jesus said, "Here's the lesson: Use your worldly
resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are
gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home" (Luke 16:9, NLT). I believe this is the
Converterlator in action, investing in what counts for eternity. We are fishers of people,
saving them from perishing and preparing them for new life in this world and a life in the
imperishable world of eternity. We are making friends for eternity by converterlating our
temporary, perishing time, talent, and treasure into eternal value!
We are talking about eternity here, and it is important we try to understand what is at
stake. In KingdomNomics we are concerned with the brevity of life. The Bible itself
comments extensively on life and how short it is. One verse that sums up this thought is,
"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a
mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). We need to be busy
converterlating the perishable into the imperishable before time expires. We want to be
active Converterlators before the opportunity to do so vanishes!
The Pennies of This World
It's easy to be blinded by earthly wealth. One day I took a penny and held it very close to
my eye, keeping the other eye closed. I found that if I held the penny close enough to my
eye, I could block out the sun. In the same way, the pennies of this world can block out
the power and life of Jesus Christ when we hold them too close.
Scripture has names for the things that are a barrier between us and God, "But the
worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things enter in
and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful" (Mark 4:19, emphasis added). These things
can keep us from having the relationship God wants us to have with him. We fail torealize that, "one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke
12:15, ESV). What a tragedy to spend all of one's life to simply please oneself with the
currency and the "goods" of this world. Living life just for "stuff" is a big mistake. It can
lead one on the road that looks so good, but ultimately leads to self-destruction.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with
things or money. However, we enter into
the red zone of trouble when we look to
them to provide life for us as a substitute
for God in our lives. It is only through the
prism of the Cross that we can see the true
purpose for why God has given us our
resources. We need to remember that our
earthly resources have been given to us so
that we can enjoy them and use them for
eternal purposes along life's way. Yes, our resources can be used to accumulate treasure
in heaven! How so? Let's look at the example of the wise men, "On coming to the house,
they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then
they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh"
(Matthew 2:11). This act of worship will be remembered for all of eternity.
The wise person today will do the very same thing as the wise men did when they visited
the young Jesus; use their talents to seek him, use their time to pursue him, and present
their treasure to the King to be used for his purposes. This is the Converterlator in action,
investing in what counts for eternity. The "smart money" is going into the kingdom of
God. We want to be in the process of helping to save people from a purposeless eternity.
We want to be about helping to prepare them for not only a new life in this world but a
life in the imperishable world of eternity as well. We are making friends for eternity by
converterlating our temporary, perishing time, talent, and treasure into eternal value. It
actually makes "cents" for us to invest in the kingdom of God.
One of the tangible results of my reflection was my changed motivation for making
money. Before encountering Christ, my philosophy was "make as much as I can and save
as much as I can, so I can sit on my can someday." But as I began to study the Bible and
understand God's plan for my life, my thinking took a totally new turn. I began to see
myself as a "spiritual financial farmer," growing money with a mission. My goal became
to "make as much as I can and save as much as I can so I can give away as much as I can
for the advancement of God's kingdom."
The time, talent, and treasure we have are all perishable, but they become imperishable
when we invest them in the kingdom of God; they last forever with ever increasing
eternal rewards.
The Reward Factor
The eternal rewards that we will someday receive should be a huge motivational factor in
the life of the believer. The Bible is filled with verses that talk about our eternal reward.
And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return.
—2 Timothy 4:8, NLT
Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—
gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire
will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if
a person's work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will
receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great
loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through
a wall of flames.
—1 Corinthians 3:12–15, NLT
Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each
person according to what they have done.
—Revelation 22:12
So here we are. We are living in a perishable world. We are going to a world that is
imperishable. In the meantime we are to be preparing for the imperishable world by being
engaged in a transformation process in this perishing world, "And we all, with unveiled
face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2
Corinthians 3:18, ESV). What Christ has done for us compels us to be focused on God's
kingdom!
The game clock is running. What are you doing on the playing field to make a difference
for all eternity?.
Perishable To Imperishable
Take some time to think about and answer these questions:
• Honestly, what are the perishable things in my life that are receiving my time,
talent, and treasure?
• What cares of the world are currently consuming my time, talent, and treasure?
• In what ways am I trapped by the deceitfulness of riches?
• What desires in this world are keeping me from being fruitful for God's
kingdom?
• What is one step I can take to focus more on the imperishable things of God's
kingdom?
• How does what is in this chapter affect my understanding of being a
Converterlator?