“And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him:” (Matthew 5:1).
Matthew 5:1 is the opening verse to what we refer to as “The Sermon on the Mount.” Today our scripture is the first verse of the passage that contains the Beatitudes.
I once heard this referred to as the “be happy attitudes.” I like what Carol Reid, the writer of the Bible study “Investing in Eternity,” wrote about the Beatitudes. She mentioned it followed this formula: “blessing, spiritual character trait, and reward.” I don’t know much about investment portfolios because I have limited funds to invest. However, I feel if I follow the formula mentioned within the verses of Matthew 5:1-12, I won’t regret that I wasn’t consumed with financial matters to the point I missed the blessings and rewards I can yield through what I call “a heavenly investment plan.”
I heard a song that contained the words; “I may not have much here, but look what’s waiting for me.” This year marks the fiftieth year of my second birth. God has taken very good care of me through all years in spite of any circumstances I have faced. He provides for my needs, gives me strength for each day, blessings I don’t always feel I deserve, and mercy whenever I fail. I’m thrilled my joy doesn’t depend on stocks, bonds or a big bank account. Many of you, I’m sure, feel the same way. We can make some deposits into the “bank of Heaven,” which we will go further into as the week progresses.
Earthly treasures won’t mean a thing when we leave this world because we can’t take them with us. We can “lay up treasures” in Heaven by investing our time, talent, and means for the salvation of souls. We can be good stewards of our funds by allotting some of them for the furtherance of the gospel at home and abroad. It is sort of like putting our heavenly investments in escrow. We are entrusting them to God until His return where we don’t have to worry whether they are protected by the FDIC.
Sue Winchester MissouriPRAY TOGETHER: Have you read a good book this year? How about the greatest book? There’s still time. Pray about reading through the Bible in 2008.
