My question to you is what types of treasures are you storing up? Are you trying to accumulate a great amount of wealth? Are you trying to store up eternal treasures by doing good things and living a righteous life?
One thing that we as humans tend to do a lot is judge others. Even if you try not to it's still going to happen. I hate how easy it is...you notice that someone is different from you and you immediately start judging them. Judgment happens with you thoughts and your words. I struggle with it sometimes as well. Lately, when I realize that I just totally judged someone or am about to, I remember, hey...God created them just like me, I need to love them regardless of how alike or how different we are. It's so difficult because we are all so different. When you judge others, you are condemning yourself, because you are usually doing the same thing. You can't judge someone for acting like a hypocrite when you might do some hypocritical things yourself.
I am friends with this couple who is together and they were taking a break recently. One of the two was texting me and venting a ton about the other because of frustration. This was happening for a solid two weeks. I would agree with her when she would vent to me, and one day it hit me that I was the one in the wrong. I used to struggle with things the my friend did and I was totally judging him for it. At my low point when I had my struggles, my friend at the time who found out what I was struggling had a choice...to forgive me, or judge me. Forgiveness was the best answer and that is what my friend did. So I told the girl, I said listen..you need to forgive him for this because we can't be perfect and we all have our struggles and we can change. I struggled and I changed. Let that be a lesson to you. It's so easy to choose a side when you are stuck in the middle of something. The best thing you can do it not judge, and be as loving as you can to both people whether you agree with them or not. Just don't judge. I judged and I condemned myself because I struggled with the same thing. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit to convict me in times like that.
Romans 2:5-8 says: But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will repay each person according to what they have done." To those who by persistence in doing good, seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
When we are stubborn and when we judge we store up wrath against ourselves. Which is bad, bad, bad. Do you understand that? When you are judgmental, stubborn, unforgiving, unrepentant, we store up even more wrath than what God will already have against us. If you have ever read anything about God's wrath, I bet that you don't want to make it worse. I love that part in that scripture that says: "God will repay each person according to what hey have done. What types of treasures are you storing up? We will be given eternal life when we are persistent in doing good, seek glory, honor and immortality. The treasures we need to store are treasures in heaven. It's tough because treasures in heaven are not tangible. But there is a big different in something that is tangible verses something that is eternal. I am choosing eternity every time. I want what is good forever. This past week while we were in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the NAIA national tournament one of the Hall of Fame inductees said this during his speech...he held up his award and looked his two sons in the eyes and told them.."this award is cool and it's a blessing, but it's not what matters...what matters is the treasures that you store up in heaven some day." When he said that it was such a good reminder. It was the perfect reminder that so many things on this earth are meaningless. Our focus is so horizontal rather than vertical.
To close, what kind of treasure are you storing up? Are you storing up wrath for yourself someday when we face judgment or are you storing up treasures in heaven... treasures that will last for ever. I hope and pray that this post reminds you and encourages you to store up treasures in heaven. That is what matters and that is what is important. It's tough because of the world we live in, but I promise you that once you start storing up treasures in heaven that your life will change. You will feel God's presence more and more when you store your treasures in heaven.
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