PASTOR’S CORNER, Jeremy Harris, First Southern Baptist Church, Liberal

“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” ~ Philippians 1:21

Last week I shared that this verse just might be the key to Paul’s joy in the Lord. The next three weeks I will consider three different things that tend to threaten our joy.

Joystealer #1 - Things in all their many forms.

How many times in your life has your joy been disrupted because of things? You were jealous of what someone else had…you were overwhelmed in your own home because the stuff is just everywhere…you were overworked as you took on extra hours in order to afford something just out of reach…you choose the easy way to make that purchase and now you’re trying to figure out how to pay off the credit card debt. The truth is, things on this earth often come as an unexpected burden in our lives that we struggle to shake off. So, let’s consider the things of this world as a lens through which we look at the world and see if they can offer us the joy we so desperately desire.

If you replace the word Christ in the verse above with the words earthly possessions, you get a whole new picture. What does the end of the verse change to now? “To die is…to leave it all behind.” Too often we view our identity and worth by the things we possess. Houses and cars come to represent status and position. Our kids having the best clothes, toys, video games, etc…show how much we care for them. Our own happiness (not even getting to joy yet) is affected by whether we can afford to go out to eat or get a special coffee each morning.

Jesus said something in the book of Matthew that can help us a lot here.

19 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matthew 6:19-21

Jesus understood what a joystealer earthly possessions can be. He reminded his listeners to store up for themselves “treasure” in heaven (love for others, living for Jesus, etc…) because these things don’t disappear with time. You see, Jesus was encouraging His listeners to view the world through His lens rather than the lens of earthly possessions. In fact Jesus goes on to tell the crowd that God the Father knows what they need and He will provide. He told them to seek first the kingdom of heaven and trust that God would take care of the rest.

Looking at this world through the lens of Jesus helps us to separate our identity and purpose from the pursuit of worldly treasures. This in turn helps us to maintain a joy that isn’t dependent on anything this world has to offer.

Until next week.