Covet not this world’s vain riches
That so rapidly decay,
Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures,
They will never pass away.
Hold to God’s unchanging hand,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand;
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand (1906)
By: Jennie B. Wilson (1856 – 1913)
Listen to this instrumental version as you prepare to ponder this hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.
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Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
We continue our journey through this hymn which challenges us to build on the certainty of God in uncertain days, and the eternal hope of God in heaven. How exactly are we supposed to seek heavenly treasures? Let’s think about this.
Where Your Treasure Is…
It is important to be careful what treasures you are seeking, because they reveal where your heart is. Jesus taught us to seek heavenly treasures, but not until after He warned us of the fleeting nature of earthly ones, which can be destroyed or stolen. This stanza echoes the teaching of Christ. Having asked the Spirit to reveal and turn our hearts away from any covetousness in our Tuesday Tuning, we now ask Him to fill our minds with a clearer perspective on the treasures we should seek.
Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures,
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20 ESV
These words of Jesus are the second half of a teaching on treasures. Here He points our souls toward not only the inestimable value of treasures which are stored up in heaven, but their security. The treasures which we seek in heaven can not be eaten up, and are not subject to decay or theft. When we labor toward treasures that are stored up in heaven, we can do so with the confidence that they are safe.
The challenge for us is to develop an eternal perspective. It is so easy to focus on life as we see it here and now. That focus influences our thinking, and our thinking where we invest our energies.
We all need food, clothing and shelter as we journey along here, and so we understandably spend some energies on those pursuits. The problem arises when we find our security or our identity in them, or other earthly things, all subject to decay.
So how do we avoid vain pursuits? By valuing things that will last. When we do this, we guard our hearts and minds from being consumed by things that do not matter eternally. When making decisions about how to spend our energies, we must ask some questions. Do I need this? Will pursuing it store up treasure? If so, where?
As you answer those questions and others like them, you will gain and maintain the perspective that will help you lay up treasures in heaven. And just what are those? We will think more on that in the next section, but first take a few minutes to cultivate a desire to seek heavenly treasures.
RESONATE!
Jesus, help me seek the eternal treasures of heaven. Help me question my motivation when I engage in pursuits great and small. Are any of my current pursuits hindering my search for heavenly treasures? Show me and give me the courage to redirect those energies toward eternal things. Are there other pursuits You are placing before me that could aid my search? Please make it clear today, Jesus.
Your Heart Will Be Also
The treasures that we lay up in heaven are best felt in this life in the heart. The enduring nature of those treasures alone makes them more valuable than the riches of earth, but the disparity between them is best revealed in the effect they have on us. The hope of heaven’s treasures never fails and that makes all the difference when all else fails.
They will never pass away.
…he has caused us to be born again to a living hope…to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, I Peter 1:3b, 4 ESV
We have been born again in a living hope. We have an inheritance that is eternal. When we build on that inheritance, we are putting our hopes on things that will last forever. They will not die. They can not be corrupted, nor can their brightness fade.
When we are seeking those kinds of treasures, not only does it change what we are pursuing, it changes the way we pursue. When our hearts are set on things above, things kept in heaven for us by God’s unchanging hand, we are able to build our hopes on eternal things.
RESONATE!
Are you pursuing things that will never pass away? Is your heart set on your inheritance in Christ? Ask the Spirit to reveal other passions which may compete with this and threaten to siphon away your hope. Ask Him to help you set your heart and build your hope on things eternal. Then praise God for the hope that is eternal, which we find when we hold His unchanging hand.
Jesus, thank You for showing me the vanity of earthly riches and the value of eternal treasures once again. Take my heart and help me set it on things that will never pass away, that my seeking may be constrained to those things. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Podcast 19.3 Transcript
Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.
Covet not this world’s vain riches,
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15 ESV
Jesus is teaching here to be on guard against having a great desire to possess something belonging to someone else. That can consume your soul, and become the foundation of your hope. Ask Jesus to reveal any covetousness within you.
That so rapidly decay,
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. Proverbs 23:4-5 ESV
There are at least two reasons not to covet. Here is the first. The world’s riches rapidly decay. Even if you are able to acquire them, you will eventually loose them in this life or at its end. Ask the Spirit to help you to avoid toiling to acquire worldly wealth.
Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures,
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20 ESV
Here is the second. Heavenly treasures are eternal. Rather that toiling to acquire treasures that will not last, we should lay up ones that will. How are you seeking to gain those treasures? What are you invested in that will produce those heavenly treasures?
They will never pass away.
…he has caused us to be born again to a living hope…to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, I Peter 1:3b, 4 ESV
And how incredible those treasures are that will not pass away! An inheritance that is eternal. When we build on that inheritance, we are putting our hopes on things that will last forever. Praise God for the hope that is eternal, which we find when we hold His unchanging hand.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more, with the refrain.
Covet not this world’s vain riches
That so rapidly decay,
Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures,
They will never pass away.
Hold to God’s unchanging hand,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand;
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.
The post What Are You Carefully Keeping? appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Seek to Gain the Heavenly Treasures – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/chest-treasure-wood-box-1657362/
They Will Never Pass Away – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/diamond-isolated-transparent-1857736/
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