Do you remember this old gospel tune?
This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.
As followers of Jesus, we know that God’s Kingdom is both here and yet to come. We have been invited to participate in God’s work in the world as He makes all things new, and so we seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus right here, right now. At the same time, we hold on to the promise of heaven: God’s perfect, final Kingdom where all the troubles of this world will be set right.
Sometimes we may find our hope faltering amid cynical, turbulent times. It can be difficult to have hope when violence, injustice, and apathy toward God’s image bearers—human beings—continues, seemingly unchecked. But we know the here and now is not all there is.
So our hearts look ahead to a better place while our heads are fully engaged in being salt and light in the world. With this perspective, it follows that we aim to store up our treasures not where they will rust or be stolen. Instead, we send our treasures on ahead where they will last forever (1 Timothy 6:17–19; Matthew 6:19–24).
How do we send our treasures ahead? We manage the resources God has entrusted to us in order to serve others. We introduce others to the love, justice, and compassion of Jesus. We bring comfort to those who suffer. In doing these things, we are storing up treasures in God’s final Kingdom “where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20 NLT).
When we see ourselves as managers of God’s assets, we can more easily open our hands in generosity. We can be generous with our time to help the helpless and suffering; with our abilities to make our corner of the world a better place for our families, friends, and neighbors; and with our financial resources to bring hope and help in Jesus’s name. In these ways, we can help build God’s Kingdom on earth while looking forward to the full reality of His Kingdom in heaven.
If you would like to study further on the subject , check out 2 Corinthians 5:1, Hebrews 11:13–16, John 14:1–31, Luke 16:19–31, Philippians 3:20, 1 Corinthians 2:9, and Psalm 23. These scriptures help us rest in the hope of heaven and galvanize us to build God’s Kingdom here on earth.
How can you steward the resources God has entrusted to you to help build God’s Kingdom?
