Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “Trust is the Treasure” – Monday, 14 April 2014 - Scripture: Psalm 49:1-20

Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “Trust is the Treasure” – Monday, 14 April 2014 - Scripture: Psalm 49:  For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the sons of Korah.

1 Hear this, all you peoples.

    Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,

2     both low and high,

    rich and poor together.

3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom.

    My heart shall utter understanding.

4 I will incline my ear to a proverb.

    I will open my riddle on the harp.

5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,

    when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

6 Those who trust in their wealth,

    and boast in the multitude of their riches—

7     none of them can by any means redeem his brother,

    nor give God a ransom for him.

8 For the redemption of their life is costly,

    no payment is ever enough,

9     That he should live on forever,

    that he should not see corruption.

10 For he sees that wise men die;

    likewise the fool and the senseless perish,

    and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever,

    and their dwelling places to all generations.

    They name their lands after themselves.

12 But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure.

    He is like the animals that perish.

13 This is the destiny of those who are foolish,

    and of those who approve their sayings.

Selah.

14 They are appointed as a flock for Sheol.[a]

    Death shall be their shepherd.

The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.

    Their beauty shall decay in Sheol,[b]

    far from their mansion.

15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,[c]

    for he will receive me.

Selah.

16 Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich,

    when the glory of his house is increased.

17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away.

    His glory shall not descend after him.

18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul—

    and men praise you when you do well for yourself—

19     he shall go to the generation of his fathers.

    They shall never see the light.

20 A man who has riches without understanding,

    is like the animals that perish.

Footnotes:

a. Psalm 49:14 Sheol is the place of the dead.

b. Psalm 49:14 Sheol is the place of the dead.

c. Psalm 49:15 Sheol is the place of the dead.

“Trust is the Treasure” by Cynthia K. Stiverson

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Matthew 6:19). Jesus’ words have become so relevant. Last year my mother was diagnosed with lung disease. Shortly after transitioning her to a nursing home, I received an early morning call. The nurse explained that Mom was unresponsive. She passed quietly that same afternoon.

Fresh in my mind is the immense responsibility of a caretaker. I chose the few pieces of clothing and personal items for the room she shared in the nursing home. After her death we sorted and divided every last item in her home.

Currently, I am sitting among boxes of my own earthly treasures. My hubby and I just moved. It is quite an awakening to see all your belongings packed into boxes. We have purged and are still purging. It’s cleansing to rid ourselves of the excess baggage.

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). When we part with treasures we’ve purchased to impress others or to fill some innate need, we declare that we have found the greater treasure: trust in Christ. He will not disappoint us.

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

Hymn for Today:

“All That Thrills My Soul” by Thoro Harris

1. Who can cheer the heart like Jesus,

By His presence all divine?

True and tender, pure and precious,

O how blest to call Him mine!

Refrain:

All that thrills my soul is Jesus;

He is more than life to me.

And the fairest of ten thousand

In my blessed Lord I see.

Thought for Today:

“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.” (Matthew 19:24).

Prayer Needs:

That Christians in area of Asia-Pacific will be strengthen in their faith!

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