Over the last few days in our daily meditations, we have been looking at the rewards a believer in Christ receives when Jesus comes, and this evil age is at an end. Jesus said that we should not store up treasure on earth but store up our treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19). What do you think are things that you can take with you to heaven? I am sure this is not a comprehensive list, but three thoughts come to mind.
1) We can take other people that we have helped find eternal life during our lives.
2) The things we have learned, e.g., the Word of God, imprinted on our hearts.
3) The Holy Spirit molds the character of Christ into your inner being.
Storing up treasure in heaven should cause us to think through what we are building with our time, energy, talents, and money. Knowing that it would be some time before His Second Coming, Jesus taught a parable about a nobleman leaving on a far journey to receive for himself a kingdom (Luke 19:11-27). In the parable, the nobleman gave each of his ten servants an amount of money, a mina, about three months' wages for a laborer. He told each to engage in business by putting the money to work until he returned. The Greek word translated by the phrase "put this money to work" (NIV) or "occupy" (KJV) is pragmateuomai. It means to do business, invest, or trade with the thought of bringing a return on the investment. We get the word pragmatic from this Greek word. To be pragmatic means to deal sensibly and realistically with something. We are to sit down and think through ways that we can pragmatically invest our resources in such a way as to get the maximum return for the Kingdom of God.
Knowing the character of our Nobleman, King Jesus, we should labor and invest in the things He has on His heart. He cares most about people—we must have a heart of compassion for the people around us if we are to build with gold, silver, or precious stones (1 Corinthians 3:12). In the parable, the first servant invested and put the master's money to work and brought a return of ten minas for his one mina. The response from the Nobleman was for the steward to not only keep the ten minas but also be rewarded with ten cities. This passage shows a vast difference between what was invested and the prize for faithful labor.
I think the cities are metaphorical language to help us understand that for what we do for Christ in this sinful world, i.e., how we care for people, there will be a vast difference between what we invest, and the reward that is given on that Day. I don't know what the prize will be, but I can wait to find out. Our duty and privilege are to put our hands to the plow for our Noble Master, using our time, energy, and resources for the growth of His Kingdom. As Christians, we are strangers and pilgrims in this world and should be looking ahead to Christ's coming Kingdom.
Again, if you believe and trust Christ, you will enter the eternal Kingdom. Your entrance into the Kingdom of God does not depend on your works, but by receiving the gift of God—salvation in Christ, and with eternity in view, we should do what we can by investing our resources into people.
Prayer: Father, cause us to be aware that every day is a preparation for eternity. Help us be open to what You want to teach us and prepare us for that day. Thank You for watching over us until that day comes. Amen. Keith Thomas
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Taken from the series Insights into Eternity. Click on study 2 or the link: Preparing for Eternity.