Title: The Way to Happiness
A way to make your heart happy
(Matthew 6:19-24)
1. Lay up treasures in heaven
Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, but in heaven. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (verses 19-21). How to lay up treasures in heaven? Do you mean to donate a lot? Of course, it is a good thing to voluntarily donate a lot. If you don't have a love heart, you can't give out material things. The problem is using that love to do the wrong thing. In the end, it is not the problem of giving a lot of donations, but the problem of using the donations incorrectly. How happy will you be when you use your donation so that everyone can relate?
These days, mega-churches in cities spend billions or tens of billions of dollars to build churches and ancillary buildings, buy land in a secluded place, build a nursery, and build a church cemetery. Then people flock Would Jesus, who lived a life of sharing with a missionary mind, be happy to see such a thing? In such a figure, the smell of worldly power and financial power is more exuded than the scent of Jesus. You must not betray Jesus in the name of Jesus and only call your own belly.
When Jesus said, “Lay up treasures in heaven!”, He said, “Do your best to share with those who really need it!” God is not glorified when building a mega-church, but glorified when sharing diligently. Sharing and mission are important reasons for the existence of the church. Andrew Carnegie said. “It is a shame to die with money left behind. We should spend well and leave for God and our neighbors.” And, as he said, he spent a lot of money on good things. What is more important than making such money is to spend it wisely.
2. Have strong and clear eyes
Jesus emphasized the importance of healthy and clear eyes (verses 22-23). Sometimes when I meet someone with bad eyes, I don't want to get close to them. On the other hand, when you meet someone with clear eyes, your heart becomes clear and pure. The eyes are the windows to the soul. Emotions come out through the eyes. You can hide your face, but you can't hide your eyes. Eyes express the heart. When the mind is clear, the pupils are clear, and when the mind is cloudy, the pupils are cloudy. You can lie, but false eyes are hard to make. That's why, when asked to be honest, say, "Look me in the eye and tell me!" So the eyes must be clear and deep.
How to get clear eyes? You have to empty your cravings. Just as an empty jar makes a clear sound, the soul emptied by sharing gives off a clear sound and clear eyes. Sin begins when we see something wrong. From the time Eve looked at the forbidden fruit, the possibility of sin had already increased. Life and character are defined by what you see. If you take care of the profits right in front of you, your eyes will gradually become cloudy, your dreams and visions will become blurred, and eventually you will not be able to see God. If you look at your mother's wrinkled face with your heart's eyes, you can see the love and sacrifice hidden behind the wrinkles. In order to improve the eyesight of faith that sees the inside like this, you need to get rid of greed.
To be a disciple of Jesus is to see the world through the eyes of Jesus. When looking at people, look at the strengths more than the weaknesses, and when looking at events, look at the meaning contained in the events. When you open your eyes, you can see the hand of God's grace that is full of the world, and you can see and feel the pain of your neighbors, who were indifferent before. From then on, the miracle of life begins. In fact, there is no greater miracle than a life where you open your eyes to the mystery of God and try to share what you have with others. When we see our neighbors and the created world as objects of love rather than desires, clear eyes emerge from them, and freedom and happiness are given to those who have those eyes.
3. Don't be a slave to material things
Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money” (verse 24). The word ‘wealth’ in that verse means ‘money god’ in the original language. It is only when you get out of that “money god” that you gain true freedom. Man was originally created to rule the material world (Genesis 1:28). When such a person becomes a slave to material things, it is a 180 degree violation of the order of creation. Material is 'to be used', not 'to serve'. God is the ‘object of service’, man is the ‘object of sharing’, and materials are the ‘object of use’. When that order is maintained, people are the happiest and God is the most glorified.
Many people today worship money almost like a god. You choose your job, your spouse, and your career according to your money. They hate, lie, cheat, and rob because of money. If you live only after money like that, the quality of human beings will deteriorate. In the end, faith is the fight against money, that is, at the heart of the heart is “Will you have money? Will you serve God?” is the battle. Since people cannot serve both God and money, real faith is possible only when they are freed from money.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said that when he later stood before the Lord, he had to answer three things in particular: how he made good use of his time, his children, and his money. Pray every day for a good answer to that question "God! Use your time wisely, raise your children in faith, and especially give them the ability to share!” There are many fights over the fortress heritage. You should share a lot on a regular basis so that such problems do not arise. Mature children will be more proud of 'parents who are well-spent and respected' than 'parents who inherit wealth'.