GIGO

Many of you probably don't know that I started out my career teaching Computer Programming at Richland High School. Wow...years ago. Anyway, teaching computer programming to high school students was a lot of fun. They loved the part of programming where they did their flowcharting and planned their program. They really like writing the programs and seeing what that strange "language" looked like. But..they all hated debugging. Trying to find that small error that was keeping them from seeing their desired result. Many times, we had to discuss GIGO--garbage in, garbage out.

See a computer is really a dumb machine and what you put into it is what you get out of it. You put in correct instructions, you'll get the desired result. You put in an error (garbage) and you'll get a result different than you expected (garbage). A computer program will run up to a certain point and then you'll start to get bizarre results. Until you go in and read that programming code line by line and examine up to the minute detail, it's hard to find the error.

So true of our walk with God at times. We all know where we want to be, what ministry God has called us to but we don't feed our walk with what will get us the desired results. We get the elementary things such as prayer, fasting, feeding ourselves with the Word but we don't get the "take up your cross and follow me" part.

Sunday morning's message really blessed me. I'm sitting there in the middle of the sermon trying to dish it out to others in the congregation when God hit me between the eyes and said, "Dummy, this is for you." It goes right along with a book I've been reading--A Life God Rewards. One of the chapters in the book is entitled, "The God Who Gives Back." The chapter starts off with the same scripture that was read on Sunday morning, Matthew 6:19-20. In this passage, Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."

It is this principle that causes our lives to never quite run correctly. We do the daily things of prayer, fasting, reading the Word, witnessing but many times we don't trust our treasure with the King of Kings. We direct it. I'm talking to myself here because I have to constantly remind myself of keeping the end of this life as my goal. In Luke 12:34, it says, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." So many times I've listened to people talk about how in love they are with serving others and ministry but then their lives shows differently. Where your heart is, is what you treasure. What you are willing to hold back is your treasure. But on the other hand, once you totally trust the Lord with your life and His service becomes your treasure, anxiety about tomorrow will disappear.

What does Matthew say? Several things...lay up your treasure for yourself. Only you can "lay up" or store your treasure for the King. It is an individual decision. Churches and pastors can set visions but only you can put your "treasure" or ministry into the Lord's hands and choose to follow it no matter what. Matthew also went on to say that your treasure should be laid up in "heaven." Are you spending your life trying to follow ambitions that aren't God's ambitions? You are laying up treasure but not in heaven.

The book that I mentioned goes on to say "The treasure God asks you to serve Him with is the very force in your life that threatens your loyalties to your Master....when you serve God, you are using God's money to accomplish His wishes. But when you serve money, you are using God's money to accomplish your wishes. And when you do that,you will inevitably follow your human instincts."

So what to do? Begin to move your treasure today to what matters in heaven, not what will give you a temporary result on this earth. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be...

GIGO? Tired of getting garbage and unrest? Stop putting in garbage and begin to trust God with ALL of your life. As we enter into a time of revival, my friends, let's take stock of our "treasure" and see if our life is focused on what we can do for God rather than seeing if God is doing something for us.

Much love,
Sis. D.