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my valentine's day
spent it with my loves: went to STORM to be with my YG kids, and to worship God. if there was any emptiness from not having a significant other, it was quickly filled by DL, who gave me a smooch i will not quickly forget.
JP, aka roboto, was the man and led worship. it was a nice change of pace for me, to not lead, but to just take part and enjoy.
had a bible study on treasures in heaven, in anticipation of the 30 hr famine. left me a little troubled with the kind of understanding some of our kids have. the magnitude of the subject was vast. i'm not sure if they were up to it, to really tackle and digest the meaning of matthew 6:19-21:
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
that we should not be attached to "treasures on earth" such as money, materialistic goods, fame, etc, is easy to understand. (not easy to obey, however) much more difficult is the question, what are the "treasures in heaven," and how do we store them?
as i saw it, there were several responses to these questions:
1) hears: "blah, blah, blah, blah" patiently waiting for the thing to be over. at some point in the near future, you are surprised to hear that you are going to sleep over at church. "wha? 30 hr famine? oh yeah..."
2) you hear the bible study, and hey, it sounds good.
so, how does this apply to your life?
"uh.... i don't know. store up treasures in heaven, duh."
what does that mean?
"........"
3) one hears the bible study, actually think about it, and roll it around in your mind. you come to the conclusion, i need to store up treasures in heaven! do some GOOD! feed the hungry! i'm going to go out and raise up lots and lots of money for these poor, poor people! you go out and do your good deeds, aglow with your "goodness," then a month later, the excitement has died off, and you have not changed a whit.
4) you delve deeply into what this passage might mean. what does it really mean? how does apply to MY life, practically?
perhaps there were more responses. for the most part, these were the typical responses. a pyramid with a base of many #1's, coming to a peak of very few #4s.
for 1 & 2, i don't know what to say. because that was me in junior high and high school, dreaming of a girl, or what i need to do in basketball to lose my guy, or how i need to alter my shot. thus, no judgments from me.
i worry alot about #3. because that is easily a typical response from a person with good intentions. they see this verse in the bible that says to "store up treasures in heaven," and assume they are to go out and do as many good deeds as possible, kind of racking up heaven points. this person might even go out and zealously raise a substancial amount of money for the 30 hr famine. but i fear that the spirit of matthew 6:19-21 might be lost on this type of person.
as roboto, esk and i were discussing afterwards, this passage is not about doing good works, racking up heaven points. it is not about doing more QTs, giving more money to the poor, etc, etc.
if such a merit system were in effect, most of us would be in trouble. if a heirarchial system existed in heaven that was based on what we did here on earth, we would be in trouble. because most of us have been veritable retards in this sense. as slow as a one-legged elephant. a heirarchial system would produce either zealots that feverishly burn their lives, totally missing the meaning of the gospel, or people who realize that they are too far behind the spiritual all-stars, and thus give up. but we know that is NOT the case. someone who comes to know God, having done very little "kingdom work" is just as welcome in heaven as one who has been a christian for a long time, and had done extensive "kingdom work."
so how does one store treasures in heaven?
the only thing of value in heaven, i believe, is that which is eternal: our relationship with Him. to be with God forever, to know Him forever, to love and worship Him for eternity, such are the treasures in heaven.
how does that translate to us on earth?
effectively, treasures in heaven means one thing: salvation. the salvation of my soul, and the salvation of others. the direct conclusion of this is that storing up treasures in heaven must mean that first, you must receive salvation and be born again yourself, and secondly, one must evangelize and share the gospel, for the redemption of others. which is a good conclusion.
as JH once told me (i think HIS pastor told him this long ago, also), "we will worship God forever in heaven. we will love Him forever in heaven. we can love one another in heaven. one thing we will not be able to do in heaven is evagenlize, to share the gospel. this time on earth, it is the only narrow window of time to share the good news you know with other people."
however, i don't think this verse stops with that interpretation. it does not call only for salvation. it does not mean that once you become christian, "WHOO EEE!!! i'm in the clear! i'm going to heaven when i die, baby. no worries!!!"
because along with genuine rebirth comes a genuine change, a life that hungers for God and lives for Him.
doing QTs, raising money for the poor, giving out sandwiches, making care packages, giving clothes to the homeless when they're cold, these are all good things. very good deeds. are such acts storing up treasures in heaven? in and of themselves, no, i don't think so. but the very same acts CAN be the fulfillment, the LIVING of the life that comes from genuine salvation, and thus, "storing up treasures in heaven."
whether my kids will grasp this, i don't know. i'm not sure if i fully grasp it either. i don't think i was in a condition to even play with such an idea in my head at their age. but i do hope that they will grapple with it. perhaps understand it. perhaps come to a deeper understanding that my own, and share it with me.
*******
happy birthday to Jieun and Pauline!!!!
two very very special girls! ;)
yakob at 11:37 PM
-----------------
spent it with my loves: went to STORM to be with my YG kids, and to worship God. if there was any emptiness from not having a significant other, it was quickly filled by DL, who gave me a smooch i will not quickly forget.
JP, aka roboto, was the man and led worship. it was a nice change of pace for me, to not lead, but to just take part and enjoy.
had a bible study on treasures in heaven, in anticipation of the 30 hr famine. left me a little troubled with the kind of understanding some of our kids have. the magnitude of the subject was vast. i'm not sure if they were up to it, to really tackle and digest the meaning of matthew 6:19-21:
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
that we should not be attached to "treasures on earth" such as money, materialistic goods, fame, etc, is easy to understand. (not easy to obey, however) much more difficult is the question, what are the "treasures in heaven," and how do we store them?
as i saw it, there were several responses to these questions:
1) hears: "blah, blah, blah, blah" patiently waiting for the thing to be over. at some point in the near future, you are surprised to hear that you are going to sleep over at church. "wha? 30 hr famine? oh yeah..."
2) you hear the bible study, and hey, it sounds good.
so, how does this apply to your life?
"uh.... i don't know. store up treasures in heaven, duh."
what does that mean?
"........"
3) one hears the bible study, actually think about it, and roll it around in your mind. you come to the conclusion, i need to store up treasures in heaven! do some GOOD! feed the hungry! i'm going to go out and raise up lots and lots of money for these poor, poor people! you go out and do your good deeds, aglow with your "goodness," then a month later, the excitement has died off, and you have not changed a whit.
4) you delve deeply into what this passage might mean. what does it really mean? how does apply to MY life, practically?
perhaps there were more responses. for the most part, these were the typical responses. a pyramid with a base of many #1's, coming to a peak of very few #4s.
for 1 & 2, i don't know what to say. because that was me in junior high and high school, dreaming of a girl, or what i need to do in basketball to lose my guy, or how i need to alter my shot. thus, no judgments from me.
i worry alot about #3. because that is easily a typical response from a person with good intentions. they see this verse in the bible that says to "store up treasures in heaven," and assume they are to go out and do as many good deeds as possible, kind of racking up heaven points. this person might even go out and zealously raise a substancial amount of money for the 30 hr famine. but i fear that the spirit of matthew 6:19-21 might be lost on this type of person.
as roboto, esk and i were discussing afterwards, this passage is not about doing good works, racking up heaven points. it is not about doing more QTs, giving more money to the poor, etc, etc.
if such a merit system were in effect, most of us would be in trouble. if a heirarchial system existed in heaven that was based on what we did here on earth, we would be in trouble. because most of us have been veritable retards in this sense. as slow as a one-legged elephant. a heirarchial system would produce either zealots that feverishly burn their lives, totally missing the meaning of the gospel, or people who realize that they are too far behind the spiritual all-stars, and thus give up. but we know that is NOT the case. someone who comes to know God, having done very little "kingdom work" is just as welcome in heaven as one who has been a christian for a long time, and had done extensive "kingdom work."
so how does one store treasures in heaven?
the only thing of value in heaven, i believe, is that which is eternal: our relationship with Him. to be with God forever, to know Him forever, to love and worship Him for eternity, such are the treasures in heaven.
how does that translate to us on earth?
effectively, treasures in heaven means one thing: salvation. the salvation of my soul, and the salvation of others. the direct conclusion of this is that storing up treasures in heaven must mean that first, you must receive salvation and be born again yourself, and secondly, one must evangelize and share the gospel, for the redemption of others. which is a good conclusion.
as JH once told me (i think HIS pastor told him this long ago, also), "we will worship God forever in heaven. we will love Him forever in heaven. we can love one another in heaven. one thing we will not be able to do in heaven is evagenlize, to share the gospel. this time on earth, it is the only narrow window of time to share the good news you know with other people."
however, i don't think this verse stops with that interpretation. it does not call only for salvation. it does not mean that once you become christian, "WHOO EEE!!! i'm in the clear! i'm going to heaven when i die, baby. no worries!!!"
because along with genuine rebirth comes a genuine change, a life that hungers for God and lives for Him.
doing QTs, raising money for the poor, giving out sandwiches, making care packages, giving clothes to the homeless when they're cold, these are all good things. very good deeds. are such acts storing up treasures in heaven? in and of themselves, no, i don't think so. but the very same acts CAN be the fulfillment, the LIVING of the life that comes from genuine salvation, and thus, "storing up treasures in heaven."
whether my kids will grasp this, i don't know. i'm not sure if i fully grasp it either. i don't think i was in a condition to even play with such an idea in my head at their age. but i do hope that they will grapple with it. perhaps understand it. perhaps come to a deeper understanding that my own, and share it with me.
*******
happy birthday to Jieun and Pauline!!!!
two very very special girls! ;)
yakob at 11:37 PM