What is your treasure?

“Seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:29-34).

Whether it be during Christmas, Valentines, vacations, or birthdays, throughout the year gifts are given, presents are provided. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, if we still put God first in our life. But this is a slippery slope if we are not careful. Material gifts make it very easy to turn inward and ignore those around us. They make it very easy to ignore the beggar and look down upon the poor, thinking we are better then they because of our costly apparel and worldly riches. Beware, for this tactic is an illusion from the Adversary. Material items do not matter AT ALL in the grand scheme of things. For we are all beggars before God. We are all in need of His help from day to day. 

“And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another. 

And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done” (Mosiah 4:21-22).

Lucifer is overjoyed when we feel security and power through possessions that are not eternal. He smiles with satisfaction when we feel we are better then the beggar because we have more material goods. As children of God, we need to do everything within our power to ignore the illusions of the Adversary and focus on the reality of God. We need to destroy our pigpen of pride and build in its place a hall of humility. We need to ignore the inner wants of our natural man and look outward focusing on the needs of others.

We can do nothing without God. Everything we have is owned by Him, and if we do not use what He has given us to further His work and His glory, that which we have will one day be taken away (Matt. 25:14-30). 

In conclusion, is it a good thing to give a child a gift? Sure. There are many smiles and happy hearts throughout the year that validate these acts. But, it is a much better thing to speak through the Spirit and teach a child truth “of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be” (Jacob 4:13). Part of our purpose is to teach the rising generation how to decipher between worldly wealth and eternal treasure, and what to do with each. Knowing that difference in mortality will make all the difference in our eternal destiny.