If you have been walking with Christ for more than a few years you’ve probably found yourself wondering at some point “why is making Him a priority everyday so hard ?” The greatest command given to us is simply, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Luke 22:37) Now we all know the challenge is figuring how to apply it in our own lives but even more challenging is trying to encourage another brother to do the same.
Many years ago I got into a discussion with a brother that I was meeting 1-on-1 with about the importance of spending daily quiet time with God and being in His Word. After many failed attempts and him making re-commitments week after week the resounding reason he provided for not spending this time each day is that he was just “too busy” and felt that spending time with God each day would take away from the growth of his business. Not realizing what I was saying I was led to ask “Can you then show me on a spreadsheet how spending time with God each day for 15 or 30 minutes would directly decrease the profits of your business?” He responded “so do you mean how can I measure my return on investment for the time I spend with God?” I hadn’t thought of it that way yet but this started a great conversation of how we should focus on investing our time and gifts in eternity and not for worldly reward but even more so it really made me question – how can I know that I’m really investing my time and gifts in light of eternity?
I quickly realized that this would mean re-evaluating Matthew 6:19-21 which tells us to “…store up for your selves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal…” For the loving God we serve it seemed odd that he would give us directions like this and not provide us with tangible ways in which to carry them out. As I prayed more about this it became very obvious, I had opportunities each and every day to take the time and gifts given to me and make the choice to invest them in the world or with God in eternity. I soon realized that He had all ready provided many tangible ways to allow me to “store treasures in heaven” – including spending time in his Word and on my knees each day, loving my wife as Christ loved the church, encouraging and teaching my kids in His ways, meeting and praying with my brothers in Christ, supporting my local church, attending outreach events, etc. – all of these opportunities easily fit into what we call “E squared”.
As a believer in Christ, the question becomes how are you investing the time and resources that have been given to you? The amazing God we serve (who we know has immeasurable resources ) provides us with opportunities to store our treasures in heaven every day and if we choose to participate we can know that we are investing in eternity – or much more simply put by the apostle Paul “Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.” (Philippians 4:17)
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