The Understanding That Changes Everything

Planning for heaven is a much more rich experience than planning for any riches here on earth. As we honor Him, we gain the understanding of the heavenly context of our earthy experiences.

It’s that time of year again when we start to prepare for the holidays - especially financially. The time when our companies invite our 401K providers in for meetings, when we start to think about what this year’s Christmas will cost us, and when churches start talking about money. It’s natural, but It’s easy to become cynical - “here we go again…” Yet in our gratitude for our Savior and in pursuit of True Riches maybe there’s more here.

There are so many angles from which to approach this topic - of money and riches. There’s “we Christians shouldn’t carry debt” or “give. save. live.” There are plenty of Dave Ramsey courses to take if you want to learn a model for financial planning (I know, because I did one!). These are all good and right approaches, but I think the “True Riches” series turns all of that on its head. Leaving all worldly currencies behind, we look up to see what investments mean in heaven.

“For all of my life” is a theme we use a lot in worship. We sing about serving him or praising him for all of our lives and it makes me think to myself “I wish there was a way I could guarantee Jesus in my future” or somehow at least increase the likelihood. In other words, I want that promise from me to be him to really be true. To be clear, he is always faithful, he will always be with me, and he is not going anywhere. The problem is my humanness. I can be fickle. I’ve believed sincerely one minute and then deeply questioned it all the next. My employer takes a percentage of my paycheck out every week to ensure that before I get my grubby little hands on the money I’ve earned, that I’ve responsibly looked after my future. Why can’t I have the same type of “set it and forget it” with Jesus? Just to be sure… right?

Honor. That’s the word. That’s the reason. Honor cannot be accomplished on autopilot. In fact, I’d venture to say that’s the opposite of honor.
Pastor Greg said: “You have no inheritance to what you dishonor.” (You can watch the sermon, True Riches: Treasures of Revelation here: http://northlandschurch.com/watch/true-riches/treasures-of-revelation)

Inheritance. That seems like another financial word, but in heaven it means something bigger. It means not having to learn your own lesson the hard way. It means benefit beyond what we’ve earned. I want to see things this way and have the understanding that changes everything. Because we are part of the family of God, we have a right to this inheritance.

“Apply your heart to understanding (seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly). - Proverbs 2:2 (AMP)

Seek it conscientiously…that’s the guarantee because that’s what he promises us. It’s not a passive experience but a fully focused and involved pursuit. The Bible says if you seek understanding you will find it. There’s no limit to how creative we can be in serving and honoring him, and there’s no limit to the understanding we can find in him.