The last thing you need to do to get ready to be used by God is use your treasure in light of eternity.
Suppose that Congress passed a law that sometime in the next 12 months, the Japanese yen would become the official American currency. We would no longer use dollars, and everybody would have to use yen to buy or sell things. To make it fair, since the dollar would be worthless after the exchange date, nobody would know the exact day of conversion.
If you knew that this big change was going to come within the next 12 months but you didn’t know when, what would your strategy be?
If you were wise, you would take most of your American currency and immediately convert it into Japanese yen so you wouldn’t be caught with worthless dollars after the big switch. You would only hold on to enough American dollars to meet your daily needs, because on the exchange date, any dollars you have left wouldn’t amount to anything.
One day there’s going to be an exchange day on your life. It’s the day you stop living here on Earth. We know it’s coming. And only a fool would go all through life unprepared for something they know is inevitable. For all of us, the mortality rate is 100 percent. We all have an exchange date.
In light of eternity, the wealth that you leave on Earth is going to be worthless. But what you have now can count in eternity if begin converting it to the economy of eternity. That’s called storing up treasure in Heaven.
How do you do that? How do you store up treasure in Heaven? The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:18-19, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (MEV).
Which bank are you storing up in—the bank of Earth or the bank of eternity? You cannot take it with you. But you can send it on ahead by investing your wealth in people who are going there.
The best strategy of investment is to take your money and use it to get people into Heaven so that when you get there they’ll all welcome you and say, “Thank you for helping me get here!”
Every time you give to help a missionary win somebody to Christ, you’re investing and storing up treasure in Heaven. Every time you help a church plan a program, build a building, or give to a ministry, you’re helping people get into Heaven. That’s the best use of your money. And that’s what ultimately brings you fulfillment here on Earth.
Is anybody going to welcome you in Heaven? They will if you’re investing your money in view of eternity.
Talk It Over
- What do you think God wants you to do when you feel like you don’t have any money to spare to invest in other people?
- What opportunities has God given you to invest in other people by sharing the Good News that you have not taken advantage of?
- If someone were to look at your bank statement, where would they say you are storing your treasure? {eoa}
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also founder of pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.
For the original article, visit pastorrick.com.
Charisma Staff 
Shane Idleman