Holy Boldness

I once heard a teacher quip, “People totally wrapped up in themselves constitute the smallest package.” These words are about so much more than money but values and ultimate worth. What does it mean to store treasure in heaven? It means that one’s true worth is determined by the opinion of those who are in heaven, namely God. One’s ultimate value is determined by heaven’s assessment of a person or thing. If a person is more concerned with men’s opinion than God’s then that person will live his or her life to please others more than God and that is an example of storing up treasure on the earth, which is short-sighted at best and can be easily forfeited. If the opposite is true, if a person lives his life intending to be pleasing to God then this one is storing up treasure in heaven. Divine favor is a spiritual treasury! It cannot be stolen by man kind. All things are laid bare in His sight. God knows those who are His. And God’s favor over a life creates opportunities that the rich and famous could never access. So what does it mean to have treasure in Heaven? It means that a person has personally made decisions that registered with God, that carried eternal significance, and gained His attention. It means an individual or group of people have made an impression because they sought to please God at the cost of their own reputation among men and that in so doing they held in higher regard for the favor of God than the favor of man. “He that honors Me will himself be honored and those who despise me will be lightly esteemed.” (1 Samuel 2:30) Imagine the pain of someone who believes that they have favor with God only to discover that they are lightly esteemed by God. Having “treasure in heaven” does not mean that one has to wait till he gets to heaven before he can spend it or enjoy the benefits. Treasure in Heaven, favor with God, means that one has authority with God because they have sought to please Him at their own expense and sometimes at the cost of friends and acquaintances or money. Jesus himself said things like, “I do not receive glory from men.” (John 5:41) “The Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me.” (John 5:37a) Righteousness is true wealth! To have the favor of God is to be a person of substance in the earth even if one does not have any money. Those who have favor with God are wealthy i n terms of the economy of

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