“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ~ Matthew 6:21

If you’re laying up treasure for yourself on earth, then you are impoverished toward God. The only way to become “rich toward God” is to use your personal resources for good works that advance the Kingdom of Christ:

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” ~ Luke 12:16-21

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. ~ 1 Tim. 6:17–19

If you’re going to be rich, then be “rich in good works,” which means being “ready to distribute,” and being “willing to communicate.” In other words, to devote your life to enhancing the lives of others. It needn’t only be money either. There is so much we can do to invest in someone else, and if we need a motive, then nothing is greater than “laying up in store… a good foundation against the time to come.”

It is not a sin to be wealthy, but is a sin to squander and hoard, one’s wealth for his or herself. To do so is a blatant disregard of God’s mission to help people which means we are not living with eternity in our hearts.

Be rich toward God!

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Christian love is far cry from the concept of love that has dominated fiction since Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In that story, too young lovers pursue a forbidden romance, and rather than honor their respective families, they rush headlong into death and destruction in the “name of love.”

Ever since, this distorted idea of love and romance has dominated the West, which has made the relationship itself the primary goal and not a purpose greater than the relationship.

The Christian idea of love is based upon self-restraint and sacrifice. It is not destructive but productive, and the reason is because the relationship serves a much higher purpose: the Kingdom of God.

Of course, the poetic description of love in 1 Corinthian 13 is by no means isolated to marriages—it is the way love is revealed in all relationships. However, next to children, there is no relationship in which love is more tested and acted out than in a marriage.

The problem today is that the Shakespearean model is too mixed in with the modern Christian, and this puts unrealistic expectations upon married couples. For the Christian, the model is the Garden of Eden where God created man, gave him a calling, and then created his wife as a helpmeet. This clearly demonstrates that the marriage covenant is designed to serve the higher purpose of godly dominion.

However, this does not take away from the fact that God gave us romance, sex, and friendship as a blessing and benefit to our marriages. The only mistake we can make is to turn the benefits into the goal, because the goal is the Kingdom of God, and the benefits are only there to keep you motivated, happy, and fulfilled.

In short, the ideal marriage is a passionate relationship that dedicates itself to serve the higher purpose of the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

Likewise you also, consider yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ~ Romans 6:12

What you do—and the actions you take—are determined by what you consider. Notice that the apostle Paul said, “consider yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In other words, you’re not physically dead to sin, and we all know that because we still feel temptation—he said you must consider yourselves to be dead to sin.

Not only that, we are also to consider ourselves to be “alive to God,” and the meaning here is like being one that has been raised from the dead.

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ~ Romans 6:13

Obviously, someone that actually died and rose from the dead as Christ did will not have a problem with sin. Since we did not literally die in Christ, we are left with having to consider it as true—that this is our status in Christ Jesus. But what does it mean to consider something? Paul explains it:

But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. ~ Romans 6:17

We usually understand obedience in relation to commandments, but in the New Testament, obedience has to do with obeying “from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.” Doctrine is a teaching that informs you of the way things are, so the starting point to living it out is to consider what it teaches as being true.

The more you are taught and believe about who you are in Christ Jesus, the more that teaching will lead to a fulfilling of your new creation life. Your job is to continually remind yourself—i.e., consider—of your new position in Christ so that your emotions and body will conform to this spiritual reality.

When you do this it becomes easier to resist sin and then fulfill righteousness. This is important because you are God’s agent of change in the world and righteousness will not reign on this planet unless we reign in God’s life:

For by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ. ~ Romans 5:17

Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace. ~ Psalm 37:37

Christians with a high view of the gifts of the Spirit desire to know their future, and they’ll often seek out self-proclaimed prophets in order find that out. They feel that knowledge of the future will someone help them make decisions today, yet the Bible’s plan is the opposite.

No doubt there are many “predictions” offered in the Bible, but most of these have to do with violations, or obedience, to the covenant. They were not simply predictions like a tarot card reader might attempt. Biblical prophecy was firmly rooted in the covenant relationship between God and His people.

Of the blameless person, the psalmist wrote, “the future of that man is peace,” and that means we can predict your future without relying upon a revelation of the Spirit. If we can better secure your obedience today, then we can say your future is a bright one!

Therefore, the highest purpose for pursuing and receiving revelation, or insight, from God is only to better ensure your obedience today. Don’t be preoccupied with seeking a glimpse of the future. That revelation won’t help you. Seek only that which motivates and equips you to be faithful today. In that way, you’re creating the kind of future you truly want.

You know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. ~ 1 Thessalonians 2:12

You are called into God’s kingdom and glory, and unless you learn to see by the eyes of your faith, this incredible truth will not make a difference in your life. This is because we are too governed by what we see in the natural that spiritual realities escape us.

To see spiritually is to understand spiritually, so spiritual eyes should not be confused with the way our physical eyes function. Because we read so many stories of saints having open visions, we tend to think that spiritual vision means that we see into the realm of the Spirit where angels and demons exist. This can happen, but this is not what is meant primarily by spiritual eyesight.

Seeing an angel, or having a vision, will not have the lasting effect on your life that true spiritual vision will. This is because true spiritual vision is spiritual understanding. What is spiritual understanding? Spiritual understanding is when you are able to see all of reality in the way God has made it—including yourself. Our Lord faulted the Pharisees because they could not see, or hear, spiritually:

“Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand… Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEARTS and turn, so that I should heal them.” ~ Matthew 13:13, 15

Seeing and hearing spiritually means to “understand with your heart,” and such an understanding will have a far greater effect on your life than seeing a vision or receiving an angelic visitation.

When you spiritually understand, you see that you are in the Kingdom of God now even though you look no different than anyone else. When you spiritually understand, you see yourself as righteous before God and seated in heavenly places in Christ. These are not realities that you see with your eyes. They are realities that you understand, accept, and believe. When you do, you start living like a son or daughter of God.

What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen—even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas. ~ Psalm 8:4-8

When the Bible speaks of dominion, it is speaking of man in general as the highest of God’s creation. It refers to the fact that man has authority over the natural order to do as he pleases. This does not mean that God is necessarily pleased with all that man does on the earth, but the basic fact is that people rule the planet.

This dominion was intended to be a godly dominion, which is why it describes man as crowned with “glory and honor.” This means the calling—and responsibility—of dominion was to be a righteous one where all that man did was reflective of the character and nature of God.

This is not “take over,” but cultivation. In other words, using the term dominion today should not be construed as political control or some financial take over of Hollywood. Dominion has to do with godly management and cultivation of works that serve God’s purpose. This will involve areas such as civil government and entertainment, but it does not involve taking over.

The basic dominion calling is to manage, cultivate, innovate, and troubleshoot. The way we do it is to be in such a way that God’s Word is expressed. For example, a godly political system would not operate as modern systems do. It would not be a top-down bureaucracy such as we have in the U.S. It would be closer to that which existed prior to the Constitution where civil government was localized.

The same is true for our monetary system. In the Bible, there would no such thing as inflation because God would require a just balance of weights and measures. Taxes would be different as well. Doing things God’s way is dominion. It’s when we manage the affairs of life in terms of God’s revelation in Scripture.

Dominion begins when we are born again, so there would never be any such thing as a Christian revolution of society. We believe in regeneration, not revolution. Once man’s heart is changed, he seeks to reform every area of life. If he does that, then it matters little what laws are on the books. For example, what would it matter if the law permitted abortion if nobody wanted one? And if nobody wanted one, then the law would never be on the books. Change hearts and the world changes.

Take dominion… over yourself!

Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water. ~ Isaiah 1:21

The first chapter of Isaiah is one of the most applicable and relevant chapters of the Bible to our times—maybe for all times. Why? It’s because it speaks of God’s true heart: righteousness and justice. It speaks of ending oppression and evil and restoring true religion to God’s people:

Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. ~ Isaiah 1:17

Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before them. ~ Isaiah 1:23

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. ~ James 1:27

True and pure religion is to care for the oppressed—the widow and the orphan—and that is what the Bible means by righteousness and justice. It does not mean living “holier than thou,” or priding oneself in moral purity—that would be closer to Phariseeism. To seek God’s righteousness and justice is to “rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless,” and “plead for the widow.”

But is that what you hear from preachers nowadays? It’s rare to hear such messages because such messages are not self-serving and they require a great deal of responsibility. You can’t build a big church that way.

In verse 21 of the first chapter of Isaiah, God said that Israel’s “silver has become dross,” and her “wine mixed with water.” This is the end result of a people that have replaced the pursuit of justice with lesser religious goals. In Israel’s case, the corruption went so deep that the “princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards” (v. 23).

This is exactly what is happening to us today as our own politicians (princes) are corrupted by bribes to the place of squandering the American people and allowing the oppression of the innocent to continue. We are exactly like the Israel of Isaiah’s time, but how shall we be redeemed? How shall we be saved from this? God tells us how:

Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness. ~ Isaiah 1:27

Until we “learn to do good, seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, and plead for the widow,” we shall be judged along with the world. We must give ourselves distinction as God’s people by speaking out against injustice and then working within our own respective communities to defend, relieve, and care for the oppressed.

Or, you can just seek out yet another preacher’s message on prosperity or how to feel better about yourself. I suggest you grow up and be the man or woman of God that He’s called you to be.

“Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my Word.” ~ Isaiah 66:1-2

God desires a resting place, but it’s not in anything built by human hands. His desire is to abide in all of us, but He only does so if the “fleshly temple” is prepared for His presence.

God’s requirements are simple: a poor and contrite spirit that trembles at His Word. And although these are simple qualifications, they are difficult to cultivate because our desires drive us in other directions.

However, another problem can be our interpretation of what it means to be contrite and to tremble at God’s Word. Brokenness, or being contrite, does not mean sadness, depression, or despair. It doesn’t mean self-deprecation, or self-hatred. Brokenness is when a heart that was hardened by the affairs of life, and self-interest, becomes pliable and sensitive to the desires of God.

There are many people that are active in church and ministry that are not broken, yet there are still others that appear “broken”, or humble, but are actually still hard-hearted. They are religiously proud, but they can hide behind religious service so as to avoid being made pliable.

To tremble at God’s Word is to recognize the full scope of its authority and to love it with all of one’s heart. It doesn’t mean a legalistic obedience but rather an awareness that the Scriptures speak to every area of life and that our obligation is to seek out how God’s Word applies to our times. Of course, obedience is central, but God doesn’t want a repeat of Old Testament Israel where adherence is there but the heart is not:

“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” ~ Isaiah 29:13

Christians often struggle over which Bible translation is the best one to read, but what does it matter if we’re not going to fear and obey? You’re better off believing and obeying the Living Bible than you are to own a literal translation that causes you no fear. Let’s keep it simple: trust and obey for there’s no other way!

The immediate grimace on her face was a clear indicator that she did not approve of my answer. She asked, “And what about love?” Her husband chimed in and said, “Watch out, man. She’s a real stickler for love.”

Of course, I could care less what she’s a stickler for. You ask me a straight-forward question, and you’re sure to get a straight-forward answer. The issue, are either one of us correct, and if so, which one?

She said, “The Bible is clear that love is greater than all,” and I retorted, “Yes, love is extremely important, but what is love exactly?” She struggled to answer that question. I said, “I recently read of a man who killed his wife and three small children because he was long unemployed—and so disturbed by world events—that he thought it was loving to spare his family a future in such a miserable world, so he murdered them.” Is that love?

There are lots of insane things that are done in the name of love, so my point to this couple was that love must itself have a standard by which it is governed, and no greater standard exists than the law of God which decrees for us what is just, good, and righteous.

We cannot leave to each one his or her own interpretation of love. This is why the Bible says that love is the keeping of the commandments:

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. ~ 1 John 5:2-3

God’s commandments define what actions are loving and which are not. Your own sentiments are not a great indicator of what pleases God, so it is far better to refer to His standards of justice and righteousness in defining what actions constitute love.

For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? ~ 1 Corinthians 3:3

One of the most prolific problems within the church has always been division and strife. Countless relationships and churches have split because of what the apostle Paul refers to as being carnal and “behaving like mere men.”

In other words, the expectation for Christians in relationship is a heavenly one. We are not to behave like mere men driven by strife and selfishness but rather like those who seek unity in the bond of peace:

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ~ Ephesians 4:1-3

We simply cannot be spiritual without serious effort at keeping unity and that requires putting up with each other. And this has nothing to do with a feeling—it’s something we must do regardless of how we feel.

Otherwise, as Paul asks, are we not carnal and behaving like mere men? God calls us to something so much higher, but without maintaining such a heavenly perspective, we are sure to descend into earth-bound carnality:

But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. ~ James 3:14-15

James goes on to say that “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full or mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). This means there are two sources of wisdom: wisdom from above, and wisdom from below. The wisdom from above leads to unity and peace while the wisdom from below leads to envying and strife. Which one are you drawing from?