Thursdays – Dawn’s Devotions for Writers“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
(Matthew 6:21 NIV)
When you think of treasure, what comes to mind? A box filled with sentimental mementos? A chest filled with jewels? A growing 401K?
Is your treasure figuring out a plot your critique group will applaud, obtaining book contracts, or being noticed at conferences? Perhaps it’s adoration by readers, being fought over by publishers, or winning awards for your books.
Do you think of your family—your spouse, children, or grandchildren? Maybe you include close friends.Matthew 6 tells us that wherever our treasure is found, that’s where we’ll also find our heart. The treasure is what we deem most important in our lives. It’s what we love. It’s what we desire more than anything else.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting financial security during retirement. That comes with being a responsible adult. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying photos and other items that hold memories for us. It’s not even wrong to desire and enjoy success in our writing career after working hard and reaching some goals.
But, it's important to remember that those things don't last.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20 NIV)
Retirement funds will eventually run out, or be inherited by other individuals. Photographs will fade. Our novels won’t stay on bookshelves forever. But the relationships we build with our families and friends will impact generations to come.Foremost, I want my treasure to be my relationship with Christ—loving, honoring, and serving Him. I want my desire for Him to be the true joy of my heart.
Where is your treasure? Where do you want it to be?
Dawn
