Someone observed, “If your treasure is on earth, you are going from it; if it is in heaven, you are going to it” (Blanchard, John. Gathered Gold. Durham, England: Evangelical Press, 1989, p. 271). Are we going from or going to our treasures? I believe that this is a question that each of us needs to seriously consider. The New Testament makes it clear that our treasure is supposed to be in heaven. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). It seems clear that many in Jesus’ day had their treasures on the earth. For them, life was all about the treasures that they had here (Luke 12:15). Mammon was their master (Matthew 6:24). The rich young ruler is a great example of a man who had his treasure upon the earth. Matthew records, “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said,

Robert Benchley once remarked, “Drawing on my fine command of language, I said nothing.” No matter how great your vocabulary may be, sometimes, the right thing to say is nothing. First, if you cannot speak with purity, the best thing that you can say, no matter how large your vocabulary may be, is nothing. We read, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). Second, if you cannot speak with sweetness, the best thing that you can say, no matter how rich your vocabulary may be, is nothing. We read, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32). Third, if you cannot speak with grace, the best thing that you can say, no matter how extensive your vocabulary may be, is nothing. Paul wrote, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6). Fourth, if you cannot speak with self-control, the best thing that you can say, no matter how full your vocabulary may be, is nothing. We read, “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth” (Colossians 3:8). Fifth, if you cannot speak with

Haddon Robinson made the following argument for the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus: Men have preached a lie, knowing it’s a lie if, in preaching it, they have put gold in their pockets. Men have preached a lie, knowing it’s a lie if, when preaching it, they have achieved power and authority. But men do not preach a lie, knowing it’s a lie if, every time they preach it, they are courting imprisonment, persecution, poverty, and death. Men do not preach a lie, knowing it’s a lie if, every time they preach it, they are pounding nails in their caskets. Men do not preach a lie, knowing it’s a lie, if it means that they will be crucified upside down as was Peter, or that they will be beheaded as was Paul, or that they will be stoned to death as was Stephen. It is contrary to all human experience for men to go out and spend their lives preaching a lie, knowing it’s a lie, if every time they preach it, they are ostracized from the community, hounded by the authorities, and turned into the laughingstock of society. And yet that is precisely the penalty the early Christians paid for preaching the resurrection. Luke records that with “great power” the apostles gave “witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:33). The willingness of these men to suffer for this doctrine should give us great confidence that the tomb was found empty and that Jesus is reigning

Among other things, actress Elizabeth Taylor is known for her love of diamond jewelry. On one occasion, she was attending a social gathering where one of the guests noticed the large diamond that she was wearing. “That’s a bit vulgar,” the woman remarked. Unabashed, Taylor offered to let the woman try the ring on. As the woman gazed at the ring on her own finger, Taylor commented, “There, it’s not so vulgar now, is it?” Sometimes, when the ring is on our finger, it doesn’t seem as gaudy as when it is on someone else’s finger. For example, when other people buy a nice house or a new car, they are covetous. However, when we do it, it is simply good stewardship. In like manner, when other people’s children misbehave, they are brats. However, when our own children misbehave, they are simply high-strung or energetic. The faults of others often appear big, while our own appear small or not at all. We need to make sure that when we judge, we are fair. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared: Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck our of your

On one occasion, some were amazed at Jesus’ wisdom and miracles and asked, “Is not this the carpenter’s son? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? (Matthew 13:55). Those who knew Jesus as a child couldn’t believe how far He had come from His humble beginnings. They looked at Jesus as the carpenter’s son rather than as God’s Son. Although they needed to look at Jesus in a new way, it is profitable for us to consider Him as a carpenter. Jesus the carpenter made the world. John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3). The context makes clear that the Word was Christ (1:14). Paul wrote, “. . . God, who created all things by Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:8-9). It is easy to see the perfect design of the world. If the earth were any further from the sun, we would freeze to death. If it were any closer to the sun, we would burn up. The Psalmist correctly wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge” (Psalms 19:1-2). Jesus the carpenter built the church. When Simon confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus responded by blessing