Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
Living The Jesus Way – The Way of Ambitions
We spend a lot of time in life chasing things – money, people, jobs, material objects, – that we think are just the thing that will satisfy us, only to find ourselves less fulfilled than ever. That is the catch about idols. They only take – never give anything that is lasting and truly fulfilling. Some of the ambitions we chase are a waste of time and resources. We can lose a lot chasing after wrong things: money, health, and most of all time.
Jesus speaks about the treasures we pursue because whatever we pursue can bring us closer to Jesus or pull us further away. The problem is not the treasure usually. The problem is the place we give the treasure in our hearts. If we love our treasures more than we love Jesus, they become idols. If we give them His place in our hearts, we will be out of alignment with Him and His purpose for us.
There is nothing wrong with having treasures and being wealthy as long as we don’t love our treasures more than we love Him. If our only ambitions are to fulfill our selfish desires with worthless treasures we will miss the most priceless treasure of a life lived in devotion to Him. Although some earthly treasures are meaningful, they are only for this world, but the heavenly treasure that comes from living The Jesus Way will last eternally. If we are walking the Jesus Way, not only does it show in all we say and do but it also affects why we do what we do. If our hearts are devoted to Him, we will want everything we do to glorify Him.
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! Matthew 6:22-23
If our heart is set on Him, our vision will be set on Him, and if our vison is set on Him then we will pursue Him and what glorifies Him. When we keep our eyes on Him and keep Him on the throne of our lives, whatever we do in our lives will always help us live the Jesus Way.
Whatever we choose to pursue will either take us away from Jesus or bring us closer to Him. If we chase things that glorify Him, in a way that glorifies Him, they will bring us closer to Him. If we take our eyes off Him, we will be distracted by our desires over what God wants for us. They promise to give us the abundant life that we can only get from living a life fully focused on and devoted to Him.
How do our ambitions either help or hinder us from living The Jesus Way?
Here is the one thing we continue to see in every lesson of the Sermon on the Mount: It all starts in the heart. Our hearts are transformed when we become followers of Jesus and every step of living The Jesus Way starts in our hearts. If Jesus is the King of our lives and sits on the throne of our hearts, our ambitions and everything we do will help us live The Jesus Way. When our vision is clouded by darkness or we take our eyes off of Him, we fall out of line in every area and we will be hindered from living The Jesus Way.
Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. Proverbs 4:23
What is it that you are pursing?
How are you spending your time? Your money? Your energy? The answer to these questions will tell a lot about what you treasure.
If you see an idol in your life, get rid of it now and put Jesus back on the throne where He belongs.
