Matthew 6:19-21 Archives - Soaring With Him Ministries

Maybe All You Need is a Little Perspective {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP)

Patricia — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 07:37:38 +0000

The sun is shining outside, my heart is beating, the air conditioning is keeping me cool in a hot day in the middle of September. I open our refrigerator and there is food. As a matter of fact, more food than what we need. I’m rich. No, my 401K portfolio is not nearly close to what it needs to be for retirement; my children’s college savings plan looks pretty skimpy at the moment. We don’t drive the latest model car and we have spent many vacation days around our hometown.

Still, believe me, we are lavishly, wonderfully rich.

“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 6:19-21

You see, an abundant life is a matter of perspective. I know many people who have much more than we do and who are so very poor. Then there are those who will never have anything or do anything of much consequence in life because, well, they don’t believe they can. Faith believes that which we cannot yet see, and the key to success in life is to fully trust that fulfilling your God-given dream is just a matter of time. It is also to cherish and be grateful for the things you do have. As basic as these concepts may seem, they are not easily grasped in real life.

We cannot easily count the examples of people who overcame adversity. Great men and women in history who became successful not because “destiny” handed them a fair share, but because they fixed their eyes on their goal and would not quit until they arrived to their destination. Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Anne Frank, Helen Keller – their names are forever engraved in the list of “Unforgettables” because they had a vision, saw beyond their circumstances and never stopped believing.

What changes our perspective in life is the same for all of us – we look at our circumstances and become fearful and paralyzed.

We hear the word cancer and we think death…

We lose our job and our hope walks out the door…

We anchor our worth on things instead of on the amazing, all powerful grace of a God who deeply loves us and who wants the best for us.

As we fix our eyes on the storms and uncertainties of life, we forget that the problems we face do not define who we are and certainly do not determine our future.
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Regardless of how old we are, our story is not over until we draw our last breath. When asked about success, Michael Jordan’s statement was a sober reminder of the key to success: “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

The next time you look at your circumstances and feel tempted to quit or get discouraged, I challenge you to take a step back and broaden your view.

The next time you look at your circumstances and feel tempted to quit or get discouraged, take a step back and broaden your view.
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As if through the scope of a camera, open your lenses wide and zoom out of your problem. Take a second, honest look into your life. Count your many blessings. Take a nature walk to view God’s faithfulness to the birds and the flowers. Sing a song of praise. Next, grab a firm hold of your vision. Your dream. God’s promises. Above all, even if you are bleeding, just keep on walking. Do not give your problem more power than it already has. Remember that God honors those who trust in him; those who work diligently to fulfill their purpose in life and never give up. Make yours an unforgettable story of strength, faith and success.

Do not give your problem more power than it already has. Remember that God honors those who trust in Him; those who work diligently to fulfill their purpose in life and never give up.
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A Reflection on a Famous Man’s Dying Wish {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP}

Patricia — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 07:08:53 +0000

“My first desire is that my physicians alone must carry my coffin.” After a pause, he continued, “Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones that I have collected in my treasury.” After resting for a few minutes, he continued: “My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin.”

Alexander the Great had three dying wishes. At the age of 32, this man had conquered the world and had unimaginable prestige and wealth as the most powerful emperor of the ancient world. Yet, when he died, his wishes reflected the realization of a life filled with victories and empty in eternal significance: Doctors could not save him; his riches could only follow him as far as his grave; and lastly, he was leaving this world the same way he entered it: empty-handed.

Alexander the Great's dying wishes the realization of a life filled with victories and empty in eternal significance
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Alexander is not alone in the long list of sanguine leaders, who conquered kingdoms and enforced their reign through war or manipulation throughout the centuries. From Ramesses II to Julius Caesar, from Cleopatra to Adolf Hitler, these men and women marked history and made their names immortal by defeating their enemies, subjecting nations to their reign, accumulating great wealth and living as if they would never die.

It seems as if Alexander’s dying remarks are the typical realization of most people on their death bed. One never hears of a dying man or woman wishing that they had accumulated more wealth… or found more prestige. You won’t hear a dying person wishing they had added another degree to their resume or that they had lived in a bigger house. Their regrets have nothing to do with their possessions. Dying regrets have to do with the things neglected while pursuing the biggest and greatest.

I have to wonder how different the world would be if we would live as if we were dying tomorrow.

What if you had but a day on planet earth? Would you say goodbye to your child the same way you do every morning? Would you pray more? Love more? Forgive more? Would the economy still be an issue — or what is happening in the Middle East? Would you worry about what people think about you as much?

I didn’t think so.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

These are the things in my heart as the sun shines on my keyboard as I type these words today: I am grateful for another day to live and for the people surrounding my life. No, my house is not perfect, and I am also often guilty of spending more time “conquering” than playing with my children. But I choose to live with the realization that life is but a vapor and each day is a gift from God.

I want to learn to pause more often to look at the stars that He made, realizing that if He directs their orbit in perfect harmony, He is also directing my life.
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I want to hug more and fuss less. I want to learn to be content with fewer material things and seek to fill my cup with those things that rust and moth won’t destroy, nor thieves will ever steal.

Alexander’s hands and heart were empty as his casket descended to his resting place. May we learn to fill our hearts with eternal possessions — that our legacy may live on to the next generation, not as people whose feats are to be praised, but man and women whose faith in God and love and devotion to those around them cannot be forgotten.