"Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art."
Be Thou My Vision, Text: Mary E. Byrne
I love this verse! What a wonderful mindset to have! After all, what is our main purpose as we pass through this planet? We so easily get caught up in this world of greed and competition and forget what matters most - God and His mission of spreading the Good News to all the world. That is the real treasure to pursue. An eternal treasure that far outweighs an earthly one!
"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle." Proverbs 23:4-5 And heed this warning: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." I Timothy 6:10 So, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" Hebrews 13:5
Dr. Tony Evans, a great "radio preacher", author and pastor of a church, once said, "You can't appreciate what money can buy until you possess what money can't buy!" AMEN TO THAT!
"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle." Proverbs 23:4-5 And heed this warning: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." I Timothy 6:10 So, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" Hebrews 13:5
Dr. Tony Evans, a great "radio preacher", author and pastor of a church, once said, "You can't appreciate what money can buy until you possess what money can't buy!" AMEN TO THAT!
What about "man's empty praise?" In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus condemns doing righteous acts before men "to be seen by them." Meaning, for that purpose alone (showing your righteous acts to be praised by men). Earlier, Jesus had said, "...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" Matthew 5:16 In this way God is being praised and glorified. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:13 When we expose our "light" by living righteously, others see these good deeds and realize we are different. We belong to God. He is our inheritance NOW and ALWAYS. He is FIRST in our heart because we know when we "...seek first his kingdom, he then provides for us (for earthly needs and spiritual needs - based on Matthew 6:33)."
Sing this verse to God and take it to heart. Knowing that big, eternal picture of heavenly things really minimizes worldly pleasures and treasures that easily disappear (see Matthew 6:19-21). The final phrase of this verse sums it up beautifully, "High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art!" Isn't God awesome?
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men." Romans 14:17-18
