WHERE IS YOUR HEART?

For most people if you asked them this question they might look a bit oddly at you and say, “well it’s the same place as yours; on the left side of my chest”. That would be an accurate answer from a physical point of view but when the bible talks about the heart, usually it has to do with our affections, priorities and dedication.

In this week’s reflection I would like to draw attention to a verse found in the gospel of Luke. It is a simple verse yet deep in its truth and meaning. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. (Luke 12:34) It is also found in (Matthew 6:21) in a section of scripture where the Lord Jesus Christ speaks to a multitude beginning with “the Beatitudes”.

My desire though is to focus in Luke because of the context in which it is written there. We need to go back to the beginning of chapter 12 to get the connection. Jesus challenges the multitude he is speaking to, warning them to be careful of the leaven of the Pharisees. Leaven often is referred to as sin in the scriptures and here the sin is hypocrisy, which was prevalent amongst these religious leaders. The problem with this group of men was that often they wore a mask of piety but in reality they were spiritual frauds. Jesus in the first three verses is saying, “don’t be like this, be real”. In the following four verses the Lord teaches that fearing God should be a priority of our heart and not the people around us, the ridicule, the challenges to our faith are all external influences that come and go and even if we died for our faith, it does not compare to the value that God puts on us individually. This is seen specifically in (Luke 12:6-7); God puts value on the birds of the air and knows an insignificant fact of how many hairs we have on our head! When someone cares about the small things in our lives it shows they truly love us. From (verses 8-12) the challenge is to align ourselves with what we believe. The words used in these verses are strong and clear, but the thought that comes through is in (verse 12) where the Holy Spirit will give you the right words in difficult circumstances; be faithful to God, give Him priority, dedication your affection and He will sustain you in whatever you face.

As the next section unfolds, someone in the crowd desires to know what the Lord Jesus thinks about their personal problem with a family member who is not acting righteously regarding the family inheritance. The Lord responds with something they may not have expected, he mentions that greed and building personal wealth can take you away from what is really important in life, the person wanted an arbitrator. In (verses 13-21) a parable is communicated about a man who did exactly that, he put all his effort into building his personal fortune thinking he had time to enjoy it. God called him a “fool”. As the parable states, he died suddenly, he had nothing as he went into eternity and his treasure was left behind on earth. In regards to eternity he was bankrupt.

In the following section from (verses 22-34), the Lord encourages the disciples to get a proper perspective on life. He says, true treasure comes from putting our complete faith in God, that He will provide what we need, added to this he said that anxiety is a waste of time and effort and seeking God’s kingdom (verse 31) is where true treasure is found. This doesn’t mean we are irresponsible and careless in how we live, the value of work and assuming responsibility is supported in scripture such as found in (Ephesians 6). The emphasis here is to allow your affections, your priorities and your dedication be found trusting in the finished work of Christ and God’s eternal purposes. As it says, “your heart will be found in the place where your treasure is”. So, the question is; where is your heart?

By: David R. Jones