Living a Life that Counts

The Best Way to Waste a Life

Matthew 6:19 CSB

“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

Jesus tells us the best way that we can waste our lives is by living for worldly treasures.

What are the treasures that Jesus is talking about?

Fame

Success

Wealth

Health

Prosperity

Friendship

Family

A Spouse

Ministry

All of these things are the things that Jesus is talking about.

He says that we shouldnt store up these types of treasures if we want our lives to count.

Does this mean that these things are evil? Should we totally avoid being famous, successful, wealthy, healthy, prosperous, friendships, family, and marriage? No! These are good things that God has blessed us with…but we do need to be very weary of the position that these things take in our heart.

The human heart is very deceptive.

Our tendancy is to take the good gifts that come from God, and turn them into little gods that we value above everything else in life.

John Calvin was right when he wrote in the Institutes of the Christian Religion that, “the human heart is a factory of idols.”

What is an idol? It is anything that we value more than God. Idols arent just statues of pagan gods…in fact those arent the most dangerous idols in our culture.

The most dangerous idol in our culture is the American Dream...

How to Make Life Count

Matthew 6:20 CSB

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.

The Difference Between the Two

Called to Have The Right Affection

What we value most determines who we are:

v.

What we look at is where we go: