By Staff
Fear will grip a person who does not have his treasure in the right place. Jesus says "Do not be afraid." Maybe you are saying, "Well, Jesus Christ is God; therefore it is easy for Him to say, "Do not be afraid." He said that, by the Spirit of God, while he was on the earth as a man. True, He was God incarnate in the flesh. But He could tell us not to be afraid because His treasure was in the right place.
We hear Jesus on more than one occasion say He was here to do His Father's will. He spoke the words He heard His Father saying and did the works He saw His Father doing. I am glad Jesus did not have a will other than the will of His Father. Though His Father, highly exalted Jesus' name above every name, Jesus did not come to make Him a reputation but desired only to glorify His Father. The treasure, that possessed Jesus, which allowed Him to tell us not to be afraid, was the Kingdom of God.
Your treasure should be the same treasure, that is, to be possessed by the Kingdom of God. It is the Father's pleasure to give you the kingdom. What is it you need? God's kingdom has it. What pleasure do you seed that brings you joy, an unspeakable joy and full of God's glory? It is the Kingdom of God. It is the kingdom of truth, sharing to meet needs of others and unselfish love. The riches of the Kingdom of God will more than enough meet your needs and the needs of your community. Your treasure located in another place will cause you great concern and worry. It will adversely affect your health and relationships. It may cause you to have few friends if you could really even call them that. Let the Kingdom of God be where your treasure is and do not be afraid.
Rev. David Bromstad is the pastor of First United Methodist Church of East Brewton.