The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Treasure in the Heart" for Monday, 30 January 2017 with Scripture Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves wealth here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and burglars break in and steal. 20 Instead, store up for yourselves wealth in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and burglars do not break in or steal. 21 For where your wealth is, there your heart will be also.
-------
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.[Matthew 6:21 (NRSV)]
My daughter wanted to redecorate her room, which was cluttered with souvenirs and childhood toys. As I helped her get rid of the stuff and decorate with color-coordinated curtains and bedding, my spirit was lifted by such a clean and orderly room! Her desk now had room for flowers and a Bible, and I hoped that her eyes would be drawn to beauty and her heart drawn to God. A sense of well-being came over me.
Inspired, I tried to clean the rest of our home myself. I discovered that while it was easy for me to get rid of my daughter’s clutter, it was much harder to get rid of mine! But my collection of what I thought were keepsakes not only occupied physical space but burdened my mind and weighed on my spirit. Similarly, social media and other activities can occupy my mind, leaving little room for me to store up spiritual things.
When we make room in our days for scripture reading and prayer, then our spirits can be strengthened with treasure from the Bible. God’s wisdom and guidance will help us in our relationships and in our service to God and God’s people.
Read more from the author, here.
"The Small Voice"
After traveling three days, I came home and could not find my expensive camera that I left on the dining table. My husband said, “I came home the day you left and found delivered packages on the sofa, and the front door was unlocked.” We realized the camera had been stolen. This reminded me of another unfortunate event that happened two months earlier. To save money, I self-medicated our pet dog, using tea tree oil on his infected, broken skin. The oil had worked in the past, but our dog died three days later. The vet told us later that too much tea tree oil can be poisonous to dogs.
Where is God’s protection in all this? I thought.
I heard a small voice say, Have you forgotten to tithe?
That is an overly-sensitive connection––my mind reasoned––these incidents were my own fault.
I did not like what I heard and tried to ignore the small voice. But immediately, another time in my life came to mind. In my late 20s, I was living alone in an apartment in New York City, and three events within a short period shook me up spiritually. One evening, while walking to a concert right after a wedding job, a man came from behind and snatched my new handbag full of cash and ran away. I lost more money because I had to pay my musicians out of my own pocket. Another time, while I was out, a thief climbed down from the roof with a rope and entered my top-floor apartment through the open window. All my electronics and a camera were stolen. Yet another day, I parked my car for just a few minutes to run an errand, came back, and found my violin had disappeared from the car. After these financial sufferings, I heard a small voice: Have you honored me with tithing from my abundant blessings?
As a music contractor and a busy violinist, I was very proud of making it in New York successfully. I thought my achievement was all my doing and forgot about God. I bought all the electronic gadgets I wanted and patted myself on the shoulder for being able to afford a good violin. But I realized that cash can be stolen, possessions burglarized, and even my instrument taken!
After that, I focused more on tithing my money and time. I reserved Friday nights for Bible studies and Sunday mornings for church. Shortly after, I was chosen––out of 400 musicians who auditioned––to be filmed in a string quartet TV commercial which paid residuals for two years. I had full health and dental insurance under the actor’s union. The benefit even extended to my husband when we got married a year later. God’s blessing came pouring in so unexpectedly in many areas.
Have I forgotten to tithe? the small voice caused me to think again after my dog died and another break-in happened. Up until the past year, my husband and I had been tithing faithfully. But this year, we only continued in offerings to certain ministries due to some financial needs for my husband's business project. We reasoned that we would tithe later with the profits. But our logic is not God’s way (Isaiah 55:8-9). I realized I needed to keep my focus on giving back to God in all circumstances.
The Lord blesses and the Lord takes away (Job 1:21). He gives us wisdom (Ecc. 2:26, James 1:5). 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us: “In everything give thanks.” So I talked with my husband, and we prayed and focused on tithing again. Now my spirit is light and my heart merry. I know how important it is to listen carefully to the small voice which speaks loudly to our conscience and heart.[Frieda Yang, Check out Frieda's blog here: http://3in1life.com and connect with her on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/friedayang3in1.]
See a picture of Frieda with her daughter, here.
Thought for the Day: When I clean out the clutter I make room for the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Dear God, help us rid our lives of those things that draw us away from you. May we be filled with your word and the promptings of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer focus: Mothers and daughters
-------
-------
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.[Matthew 6:21 (NRSV)]
My daughter wanted to redecorate her room, which was cluttered with souvenirs and childhood toys. As I helped her get rid of the stuff and decorate with color-coordinated curtains and bedding, my spirit was lifted by such a clean and orderly room! Her desk now had room for flowers and a Bible, and I hoped that her eyes would be drawn to beauty and her heart drawn to God. A sense of well-being came over me.
Inspired, I tried to clean the rest of our home myself. I discovered that while it was easy for me to get rid of my daughter’s clutter, it was much harder to get rid of mine! But my collection of what I thought were keepsakes not only occupied physical space but burdened my mind and weighed on my spirit. Similarly, social media and other activities can occupy my mind, leaving little room for me to store up spiritual things.
When we make room in our days for scripture reading and prayer, then our spirits can be strengthened with treasure from the Bible. God’s wisdom and guidance will help us in our relationships and in our service to God and God’s people.
Read more from the author, here.
"The Small Voice"
After traveling three days, I came home and could not find my expensive camera that I left on the dining table. My husband said, “I came home the day you left and found delivered packages on the sofa, and the front door was unlocked.” We realized the camera had been stolen. This reminded me of another unfortunate event that happened two months earlier. To save money, I self-medicated our pet dog, using tea tree oil on his infected, broken skin. The oil had worked in the past, but our dog died three days later. The vet told us later that too much tea tree oil can be poisonous to dogs.
Where is God’s protection in all this? I thought.
I heard a small voice say, Have you forgotten to tithe?
That is an overly-sensitive connection––my mind reasoned––these incidents were my own fault.
I did not like what I heard and tried to ignore the small voice. But immediately, another time in my life came to mind. In my late 20s, I was living alone in an apartment in New York City, and three events within a short period shook me up spiritually. One evening, while walking to a concert right after a wedding job, a man came from behind and snatched my new handbag full of cash and ran away. I lost more money because I had to pay my musicians out of my own pocket. Another time, while I was out, a thief climbed down from the roof with a rope and entered my top-floor apartment through the open window. All my electronics and a camera were stolen. Yet another day, I parked my car for just a few minutes to run an errand, came back, and found my violin had disappeared from the car. After these financial sufferings, I heard a small voice: Have you honored me with tithing from my abundant blessings?
As a music contractor and a busy violinist, I was very proud of making it in New York successfully. I thought my achievement was all my doing and forgot about God. I bought all the electronic gadgets I wanted and patted myself on the shoulder for being able to afford a good violin. But I realized that cash can be stolen, possessions burglarized, and even my instrument taken!
After that, I focused more on tithing my money and time. I reserved Friday nights for Bible studies and Sunday mornings for church. Shortly after, I was chosen––out of 400 musicians who auditioned––to be filmed in a string quartet TV commercial which paid residuals for two years. I had full health and dental insurance under the actor’s union. The benefit even extended to my husband when we got married a year later. God’s blessing came pouring in so unexpectedly in many areas.
Have I forgotten to tithe? the small voice caused me to think again after my dog died and another break-in happened. Up until the past year, my husband and I had been tithing faithfully. But this year, we only continued in offerings to certain ministries due to some financial needs for my husband's business project. We reasoned that we would tithe later with the profits. But our logic is not God’s way (Isaiah 55:8-9). I realized I needed to keep my focus on giving back to God in all circumstances.
The Lord blesses and the Lord takes away (Job 1:21). He gives us wisdom (Ecc. 2:26, James 1:5). 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us: “In everything give thanks.” So I talked with my husband, and we prayed and focused on tithing again. Now my spirit is light and my heart merry. I know how important it is to listen carefully to the small voice which speaks loudly to our conscience and heart.[Frieda Yang, Check out Frieda's blog here: http://3in1life.com and connect with her on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/friedayang3in1.]
See a picture of Frieda with her daughter, here.
Link2Life for January 30, 2017
Upper Room author Frieda Yang and her daughter, Madeline.
The Author: Frieda Yang (California, USA)Thought for the Day: When I clean out the clutter I make room for the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Dear God, help us rid our lives of those things that draw us away from you. May we be filled with your word and the promptings of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer focus: Mothers and daughters
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment