Matthew 6:19-21 Do not lay up treasures on earth for yourselves, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up treasures in Heaven for yourselves, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Shabbat can help us to understand our stewardship of earthly goods as we enter a day of rest. Since everything in and on Earth belongs to the LORD, all we own and all we are responsible for belongs to Him and is under His primary care. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” [Psalm 24:1] A biblical understanding of ownership recognizes this truth which becomes a blessing and a relief for believers who acknowledge it. We are free from the worry and care concerning earthly goods especially as we consecrate all we own to Him. As the saying goes, "You can't take it with you." Or as Job remarked, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. [Job 1:21]
That being said, the blessing of stewardship is a profound reality with daily opportunities which bear eternal consequences. Far from worrying about our stuff, we're far better reminding ourselves that all of our resources can be set apart for good and holy purposes. As stewards, we have both the responsibility and opportunity to manage God’s possessions here, and thus, store treasure "there" in Heaven...
So this Shabbat, consider your possessions. Don't worry about them; offer them to the LORD, the great steward of Creation, asking Him to give you wisdom and generosity as He delegates your earthly stewardship. Rejoice in His Freedom, His blessings, and His Life, knowing that all you have here in this world will pass away, and only what you have done with it will remain. Realize the only thing you can truly own is your relationship with God, and that you will find your heart where your treasure is. And rest in offering all you are and have to the best Steward of all. Shabbat Shalom!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Traditionally in Jewish spirituality, these 40 days of prayer and repentance beginning the 1st of Elul to Yom Kippur parallel the 40 days that Moses spent on the mountain [Exodus 34:28] pleading God’s forgiveness for Israel’s sin of creating and worshiping the golden calf. Interestingly, Psalm 27 is read each day of the month of Elul, along with the shofar blast in preparation for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
As we continue our study for Elul, a month set apart for repentance in preparation for the fall feasts, we find a message hidden in the four Hebrew letters spelling the name of this special month. Alef-Lamed-Vav-Lamed form an “acronym” for a well-known passage in the Song of Solomon: Ani l-dodi v-dodi li or in English, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”
I happened (on rare occasion) the other day to see a CNN headline, “Health Officials Brace for Three Major Viruses this Fall”. Immediately, I thought, “Not again!” Yet, scouring the headlines, it now appears that several colleges are instituting mask mandates even though there isn’t a case of illness yet. While the world is being prepared for an “outbreak” of disease, I’m hoping we may learn a lesson from history so that, perhaps, we’ll see an “outbreak” of revival!
As we enter this season of Teshuva (Repentance) during the month of Elul, we enter a unique season approaching the Fall Feasts. This month initiates a 40-day countdown to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and is traditionally known as the time the King would visit His people.
As we continue our study of the men who followed David, another characteristic was their ability to war.They learned how to battle with both the right hand and the left hand for hurling stones. If you have ever thrown a ball, you know that you can aim effectively with your dominant hand — but try it with the opposite hand — it’s far more difficult to throw accurately. But the men that followed David learned to throw with both arms effectively! It must have taken months of training to develop such skill.
When David was a fugitive from Saul, the men who followed him recognized his rightful place as King of Israel, and they developed a deep loyalty to him, this little band. As we read yesterday, these men were transformed from distress, debt, and discontentment [1 Sam. 22:1-2] into becoming mighty men of war. Having joined David, they quickly realized that they were joining a conflict.
Last night, Jewish people around the world will mourn Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar year. Some of you may know that a lot of bad things have happened to the Jewish people on this date, the first of which was when the spies returned with an evil report of Canaan, the Promised Land, recounted in Numbers 13 and 14. Both the first and the second Temple were destroyed on this exact date, hundreds of years apart. The Crusades began on this day in 1095. The Jews were expelled out of England on this day in 1290, and again were expelled from Spain and Portugal on Tisha B’Av in 1492. And there are many more examples of this infamous day in Jewish history!