But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
We are all too willing to make great efforts for satisfaction and pleasure that quickly fades. The lasting joy of heaven seems to distant. It seems too far removed to strive after. And yet it is the only joy that lasts.
Jesus calls us to remember the impermanence of earthly pleasures. He doesn't necessarily cause us to abandon them all. Instead, he calls us to see them from an eternal perspective. If we can do this we will be able to enjoy them without clinging to them and expecting more from them than they can provide.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
We want our hearts to be in a place of permanence, peace, and joy rather than a place of transience, suffering, and loss. This place is with Jesus in heaven. It is indifferent with respect to the comforts of this world. Paul's heart is there. His joy is from his beloved savior. The things he values are now the opposite of worldly values.
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
He brags about all of the sufferings and hardships which he endures for his beloved. In these things he experiences the closeness of his savior and the grace he pours out. Paul brags about beatings, lashings, sleep deprivation, hunger, frustrated plans, and constant danger. Most of us only experience such things as evils. If our treasure is on earth we will have no way to reconcile such sufferings with it. But Paul's treasure is in heaven. He is able to find solace in the will of God no matter the circumstances.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
Let us hear Paul glory in the LORD. May it teach us to be glad amidst difficult circumstances. May it teach us that the LORD is constant and that if our treasure is in him we will not want for joy.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
We find ourselves admitting that our treasure is mainly on earth the more we see from someone like Paul who is totally committed to the kingdom. What do we do? How do we lift our hearts to that lasting treasure? Jesus points the way.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
If our focus is on him he will enlighten us. If we keep bringing our attention back to his face we will push back the darkness in our hearts a little bit at a time. We will have confidence that even these circumstances will eventually give way to the kingdom wherein we find our last happiness.
From all their distress God rescues the just.
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