Partners in Eternity
In Matthew 6:19-20, 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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Life on earth isn’t easy. I don’t suppose it is supposed to be easy. Many of us start out with very little, yet we jealously guard what we have. As we grow older, we often find ourselves accumulating “treasure,” i.e., tools, vehicles, nice appliances, décor, and other nice to have items. While only a few people are truly hoarders, most of us are reluctant to part with the things we no longer need. We remember those early days when we had little, and most of that was second-hand and run down. The thing is, for many of us, we still jealously guard what we have because “we earned it” and “it is ours!” But is it really?
What we have, whether great or small, all comes from heaven. God has blessed us, not always in accordance with our wants, but often in accordance with our need; and sometimes our need is to learn to trust in Him and not our own understanding. We often cannot comprehend this, and sometimes we ask, “Why do others seem to have so much when I have so little?” This question is difficult to answer, but I know that, wherever we are in life, God is there, reaching out to us. Each one of us has received blessings from Heaven, whether we recognize them or not. God is constantly using our situation to remind us of His love and asking us to look beyond our circumstances. God wants us to totally rely on Him and not on our belongings.
In Mark 12:41-44 Jesus and His disciples are at the Temple in Jerusalem. It says, “And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
These rich people were confident in their riches, sharing from their abundance, but the widow was confident in God, sharing sacrificially. She put in more because it cost her more, it put her in a position of totally relying on God to meet her needs. That small copper coin resulted in a huge deposit for her riches in Heaven.
But giving is only one way to lay up treasure in heaven. You store up eternal treasure in heaven whenever you pray, whenever you fast, whenever you forgive, whenever you share the Gospel, whenever you serve the Lord, whenever you help others, and whenever you endure persecution for Christ’s sake. Whenever you do anything that brings glory to God, you store up treasure in heaven, but you must do these things because you love God and want to demonstrate that love. 2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that, “one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” When you support a ministry that is doing the Lord’s work, you become partners in eternity with them.
When you pray over Peace Mountain Ranch, you are partnering with us to bring the peace of God to those who cannot find that peace on their own. When you pray for the Veterans who have come to Peace Mountain Ranch and who will come to Peace Mountain Ranch, you help create an environment bathed in the love of God. Many people who come to Peace Mountain Ranch tell us that they feel its peacefulness immediately. They can’t explain, but their world seems a little less chaotic, and they can focus on healing. When you pray for the volunteers at Peace Mountain Ranch, you help each one find purpose and fulfillment in serving the Lord by serving others. Peace Mountain Ranch cannot exist without the prayers of fellow believers.
When you volunteer at Peace Mountain Ranch, you invest in the lives of the Veterans who are touched by our mission. It may be something as big as building living space for the Veterans, or as simple as making a bed, it may be grooming Riella or cleaning out her stall; all these actions, when done in obedience to Christ, help create an atmosphere where Veterans can feel God’s love, His peace. You will also find that service to others is service to Christ, bringing with it a contentment that can only be found in Christ.
When you give financially to Peace Mountain Ranch, you enable us to provide the necessary environment for God’s love to flourish, for His peace to emanate from and through this place. Your gifts help us to feed, house, and reach Veterans who might otherwise miss out on finding peace, hope, and healing. Your gifts help us to grow our ministry so that we might bless even more Veterans and show them God’s love.
Help us reach hurting Veterans so that we might be partners in eternity.
