Category Archives: Treasures

Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Commands, Gifts, Giving, Money, Scripture, Tithe, Treasures

BAD GIFTS

MALACHI 1:8

“‘And when you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not evil? Or when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not evil? So offer it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you, or would he receive you kindly?’ says the LORD of armies.”

I used to work for a ministry that had several thrift shops. These thrift shops operated solely on donated items. People can be very generous when they want to be. Occasionally, however, we received some “gifts” that weren’t so nice. Things like used underwear and used mattresses just can’t be sold. That meant we had to discard them. You would not believe the amount of things we simply had to throw away because they were not saleable.

Man, oh man! The Lord lets the priests have it in verse 8 today. He accuses them of presenting blind, lame and sick animals. These items were not even appropriate for their governor. Why would they think He would accept them? God had strict guidelines for what kind of animals could be presented as offerings to Him. Leviticus 22:22 told them, “Those that are blind, fractured, maimed, or have a wart, a festering rash, or scabs, you shall not offer to the LORD, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the LORD.”

APPLICATION

Now, you are probably saying, Carl, I am not offering animals to Jesus. You’re right, absolutely right. But let me ask you this. Are you offering your seconds to Him? God still requires us to offer our best, our first fruits to Him. What are you holding back? What are you saving for yourself that belongs to Him?

Romans 12:8 addresses New Testament giving. “or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation; the one who gives, with generosity; the one who is in leadership, with diligence; the one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Jesus demands more than the tithe. He demands it all. Sound selfish? Not at all, because He gives it all back to you many times over.

How about your time? Are you robbing God of that too? Carl, I’m just too tired on Sundays to go to church. God understands that. Carl, I really have to work today to make more money. Stop the excuses. Stop offering the bad gifts. Give it all to Him. He deserves your very best.

Father, I offer my all to You today. Take it and use it however You desire.

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Abiding, Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Crowns, Scripture, Treasures, Value, Worthy

PRECIOUS STONES

ZECHARIAH 9:16

“And the LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people; for they are like the precious stones of a crown, sparkling on His land.”

One of my favorite verses about children is found in Proverbs 24:3-4. “By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” Isn’t that beautiful? Those rare and beautiful treasures are our children. If you have a child or children, I pray you see them that way.

The Lord is reassuring the people once again just how special they are to Him. He calls them His people who sparkle on His land. God is painting a picture for them. They are like a crown encrusted with precious stones. They sparkle and shine His glory and His brilliance. What a wonderful description!

APPLICATION

You are also seen by God in the same way once you become a believer in Christ. In the Word, God paints us in all kinds of ways. He calls us a royal priesthood and His own possession in 1 Peter 2:9. We are His children, His family, living stones, etc., etc., etc. I could go on and on through Scripture with the descriptors God uses to show how much we mean to Him.

My point is this – don’t let anyone ever tell you that you are of no value. If you are God’s child, you have extreme value. You are joint heirs of the kingdom with Jesus. Wow! You are a rich, rich person in Christ. I saw the other day that someone won the largest lottery ever – over $1.5 billion. But our inheritance in Jesus is so much more.

I am not a rich man, and I never will be (unless that lottery winner wants to give me a million or two, lol). But the Lord has always provided for me and my family. Why? Because I am His precious jewel. He cares for me. I believe He will do what He says He will do. I believe He is able to do the impossible. Do you? He can if you will allow Him into your life.

O God, my salvation and my stronghold, I rest in You knowing that You see me as a precious jewel.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Eternity, Heaven, Inheritance, Scripture, Treasures

ALL THESE THINGS

ZECHARIAH 8:12

“‘“For there will be the seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their dew; and I will give to the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance.”’”

When my mom and dad had both passed into their eternal glory, whatever they possessed on this earth belonged to their offspring, me and my three siblings. We divided all their things among us. Why? Because my dad had put that in his will. He instructed us how to divide his earthly possessions. He had already decided this before he died. It was a legal decision.

Why do I bring that up? Because in today’s verse, God tells the people what their inheritance is going to be. He promised them the seed of peace, fruitful vines, productive lands and abundant rains (dew). That all sounds great, doesn’t it? But notice something. It may have slipped past you. He says, “the seed of peace.” There is a definite article there. THE seed of peace. God is pointing ahead to the Messiah, His Son, who would come and bring peace to mankind.

APPLICATION

We have an inheritance in the Lord also. We are told as much in Romans 8:14-17. “14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

The difference between my inheritance from my dad and from God is huge. I had to divide my dad’s inheritance with my siblings. But with God, I am a fellow heir or a joint-heir, which means I get to enjoy all the inheritance equally with His Son. That’s a big difference. I get to enjoy all of heaven, not just my little section. All His riches belong to me, along with all believers.

So, don’t think you are lacking in your inheritance. God has a huge inheritance waiting for you. The question is if you are deserving of it. Are you His child? If you are, you are set. If you are not, you will not receive any of it. Do you want to inherit heaven? Come to Him today.

I cannot wait to see Your face, Lord, and to experience all You have waiting for me.

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Accountability, Bible, Blessing, Gifts, Giving, Offering, Scripture, Treasures

LIVING IN LUXURY

HAGGAI 1:4

“‘Is it time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses while this house remains desolate?’”

Today’s verse really connects with me because I grew up in a paneled house. My dad built our house way back in the mid 1950’s. He used pine boards to panel all the rooms. These boards were stained and varnished to last a long time. My older sister still enjoys those paneled walls. They are beautiful.

So, when I read this verse today in Haggai 1, I immediately thought back to that house where I grew up. The Lord is scolding the people of Israel, however, because while they spent all that time and money making sure their own homes were beautiful, they had neglected God’s house, the temple. There is nothing wrong with having the paneled houses, but He comes first.

APPLICATION

1 Timothy 6 warns us of the danger of wealth that is misprioritized (I think I just made that word up, lol). Look at verses 9-10. “9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Having nice things are fine. I don’t want to give the impression that it is not. But when we put our “stuff” above worshipping and blessing our Heavenly Father, then it’s not good. Are you giving to the Lord as you should? Are you giving of your first fruits or your leftovers? Take a look at your manner of giving and see if it reflects God’s guidelines.Giving is a personal thing. We should not broadcast to the world how much or what we are giving.

Part of my responsibilities as a staff member at Every Man A Warrior is to approach individuals, foundations and churches to ask them to consider giving to our ministry. I want to allow them to be blessed by being obedient to the Lord. I would be remiss if I didn’t do that now. Check out our giving site at www.twr.org/carl-willis. May God guide you in your giving.

Lord, thank You for the joy of giving to Your kingdom. Take our offerings and use them for Your glory.

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Abiding, Bible, Scripture, Treasures, Wealth

YOURS BUT NOT YOURS

ZEPHANIAH 1:13

“‘Their wealth will become plunder, and their houses desolate; yes, they will build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but not drink their wine.’”

There is a housing development not too far from where I live that sits deserted. The developer started building this high-end, gated community years ago, but had to stop. The parts he finished are elaborate. The houses are big and expensive. The walls and gates are impressive. Yet, no one possesses them. They sit there rotting away.

Those who spurn the Lord find themselves in the same predicament. Zephaniah, in today’s verse, gives us the Lord’s words towards such people. Psalm 52:7 says something similar. “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and was strong in his evil desire.”

APPLICATION

In Luke 12:13-21 Jesus tells us a similar story. Someone approaches Jesus and asks Him to tell his brother to divide their family inheritance with him. As is customary for Jesus, He illustrates truth through a story. It’s one of greed and possessions, something I am sure the man asking the question was concerned about.

Jesus closes the story with these words. “20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ 21 Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich in relation to God.”

I guess I am in luck since I am not rich, lol. Seriously, you can be greedy and not possess a lot. It’s all about your heart. How is your heart? Is it rich in relation to God, as Jesus said? Is knowing Him more important than what you have? Things of this earth will not last but knowing Him will.

Lord, thank You for the richness of Your love.

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Bible, Blessing, Family, Fruit, Treasures, Wealth

YOUR TREASURE

NAHUM 2:9

“Plunder the silver, plunder the gold! For there is no end to the treasure—wealth from every kind of desirable object.”

One of my children’s favorite movies was “Goonies.” These kids in the movie are seeking a pirate treasure in the caves around their hometown. They eventually find it after fighting off some bad guys. The treasure has gold, diamonds and precious stones. They let most of the treasure go unclaimed, however, in order to make sure everyone is safe.

All the silver and gold of Nineveh is plundered by their enemies. It was a wealthy city, having conquered other nations and carried off their wealth. Well, turnabout is fair play. Now, all their wealth is being carried off. All they can do is watch. Their end has come.

APPLICATION

What is your treasure? Is it your 401K? How about your home or job? Maybe you consider your family your treasure. All these are temporal. They will not last. They may make you feel good now, but not in eternity. None of these will make a difference when you come to the end of your days.

You see, God’s view of treasure is different than the world’s. Jesus told us in Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” We prioritize the wrong things too often. Jesus tells us to lay up treasures in heaven. That is only done by living according to His Word. It is done by producing fruit through godly living.

So, what treasures have you laid up in heaven? How are you serving Him today? All those treasures you lay up in heaven will be laid at His feet. That will be a glorious day. We cannot even begin to imagine. He will be glorified!

All I have laid up in heaven, Lord, is Yours. Help me keep my focus on heavenly treasures and not worldly ones.

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Accountability, Advice, Bible, Blessing, Modeling, Obedience, Sin, Treasures

ARE YOU STILL DOING THAT?

MICAH 6:10

“‘Is there still a person in the wicked house, along with treasures of wickedness, and a short measure that is cursed?’”

Bad habits are hard to break. I remember back before I came to Christ, I had lots of bad habits (I do not need to name them all here, lol). One of them was smoking. It took me about six months to quit that habit. It was so addictive that to this day if I smell a cigarette, I want one. Oh, the devil knows our triggers.

The Lord is saying through Micah in today’s verse, “Are you still doing that? Are you still doing those wicked things?” The “short measure” meant they kept coming up short, even though they were bringing in “treasures of wickedness.” Proverbs 13:11 says, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers it little by little makes it grow.”

APPLICATION

I have never been, nor will I probably ever be rich, at least not in the eyes of the world. My family has never lacked for anything because the Lord has supplied our needs. He has even given us some of our wants. I had a bass boat for a while and really enjoyed it.

My point is when we are living for the Lord, He supplies our needs. He knows exactly what we need each day. Being our heavenly Father, He also likes to bless us with things. What father does not like to do that for his children? There is nothing wrong with having things, as long as those things do not become your focus.

The people of Israel, just like us, had shifted their focus to their treasures. That was all that mattered. Their sins were ripe with that desire. We cannot sit back and point our fingers at them. We do the same thing. Take a few minutes today and look over what the Lord has given you. Give Him praise for all He has done.

Lord, I am not worthy of Your blessings in my life. I am truly a rich man, full of Your mercy.

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Bible, Blessing, Encouragement, Inheritance, Money, Protection, Scripture, Treasures

SILVER AND GOLD

JOEL 3:5

“Since you have taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious treasures to your temples,”

Everything that I have belongs to the Lord. Every shirt, chair, car, etc. I learned a while back to give it all to Him. By doing so, they are His responsibility, not mine. So, when something breaks or has to be replaced, I tell the Lord that He needs to replace His item. He has been faithful to do that for all these years.

Philistia had come in and robbed the people of their silver and gold. At this time, they had not touched the silver and gold of the temple. He is referring to the wealth of the people which had been taken away. Their wealth belonged to the Lord. Taking it was taking from Him. The Philistines took it and brought it to their temples and dedicated it to their Gods. The Lord was not happy about that.

APPLICATION

What are your “robbing” the Lord of right now? Don’t you realize that all you have belongs to the Lord. As a believer, we need to dedicate it all to Him. We don’t have the right to do with as we wish. Only He does. So, if He chooses to take it away, we have to be okay with this. If He chooses to bless us with more, that’s His choice as well.

Take a moment and look at all you have. Say a prayer of dedication for it all. This releases you from having to worry about your stuff. God will protect His stuff a lot better than you can. He can replace things easier than you can. Silver and gold are like pennies to Him. Trust Him with it.

I think I have told the story of our washing machine while we lived in Florida. To make this short, it died and needed replacing. I went to the Lord and said, “It’s yours, God. You know our need. I trust You to get us a new one.” Within the week, someone gave us a new matching set. Ain’t God good?

Thank You, Lord, for blessing me with all You have given me. I place it all in Your hands.

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Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Commands, Direction, Encouragement, Evangelism, Faith, Following, God's Will, Inspirational, Mentoring, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Religion, Scripture, Treasures

STILL FISHING

MATTHEW 17:24-27

“24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, ‘Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?’ 25 He said, ‘Yes.’ And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?’ 26 When Peter said, ‘From strangers,’ Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are exempt. 27 However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.’”

What a strange story. It seems to appear out of nowhere and have nothing to do with Jesus’ ministry. Oh, but it does. Did you know this tax for which they were collecting was for the support of the Temple? It wasn’t a Roman tax, but rather a Jewish tax. Jesus was fulfilling Jewish law by paying this. He was showing Peter that He meant to support the temple, not fight against it.

I bet Peter thought He was a little crazy, though, when He said to go catch a fish and find the tax money. I’ve caught a lot of fish and have found a lot of things in their mouths. But I have never found money. Boy, if I did I would fish every day, lol. Jesus was providing what was needed at the time, nothing more. He still does that today, does He not?

APPLICATION

The next time you write that check to the church or put money in the offering plate, you can tell this story. Your children will definitely think this story is cool. Money in a fish’s mouth? Really? But that miracle isn’t the point of the story. Make sure they understand that. The story is about Jesus fulfilling His Father’s will. He came to fulfill and complete the law.

Jesus just chose an interesting manner to do it. He was exhibiting His omnipotence to His followers and doing what was expected in paying this tax. Explain to your children that they too can be a part of a miracle by giving to support the church. Now, we don’t pull coins from fish, but we do support ministries that change lives. The church supports missionaries around the world who touch lives who may have never heard the name of Jesus.

I bet you could find some money in an unusual place today to give to the Lord. You may have something you are not using anymore that could be turned into cash for the kingdom. Your child may have some toys they have outgrown. Sell them and lead them to give that money to missions. They and you will be finding “coins in a fish,” in a sense. Now, that’s cool.

Father, all I have is Yours. Help me see how to make it all available to the furtherance of Your kingdom. I want to be faithful to whatever You ask me to give.

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Child Raising, Child Rearing, Contentment, Encouragement, Eternity, Family, Gifts, Heaven, Inspirational, Love, Parenting, Treasures

IT’S NOT GOING ANYWHERE

I PETER 1:4

“to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”

Great news! If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are an heir of the King! And that inheritance isn’t going anywhere. Peter makes a point to emphasize that in this verse. He, first of all, say it is “imperishable.” That Greek word means indestructible or immortal. Then he calls it “undefiled.” You could translate it as unstained. It’s perfect. Third, he says your inheritance “will not fade away.” That Greek word is only used here and means it won’t wither.

But then, after all these descriptions, he says, “reserved in heaven for you.” It’s being kept in the Fort Knox of Glory. No one or nothing can get to it. It’s promised and perpetual. No one can sneak in and destroy it or steal it. Why? Because He promised it and what He promises cannot change. Our inheritance in Christ is a sure thing.

APPLICATION

Do you have something right now you are planning on leaving as an inheritance to your children? It may be a piece of jewelry or maybe a house. It could be money. Guess what? That’s not a sure thing. Your life and their life could drastically change before that inheritance is claimed. And you have to die to leave that to them. You are probably not in a hurry to do that.

Things inherited can also lose their value. Your house can depreciate. That piece of jewelry can tarnish or be lost. What do you have that is really secure enough to pass on to your child? Your faith. Give them that. Make sure they have it BEFORE you die. There is no greater inheritance we can pass on to future generations than our love for Christ. This will last for eternity.

Are you hanging on to possessions just to pass them on? You might want to check with your children. They may have no desire for the things you hold precious. Ask them what they do value. I bet it won’t be stuff. I bet it will be time and love. Those things you can give freely. Make the investment in your inheritance to your children by preparing what God values most.

I am an heir of the King, and for that I am thankful. I know my future inheritance awaits me in Glory. But I also know I am already owner of all that’s Yours.

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