Lent Day 16 [3.22.2025] / True Treasure Pt. 3

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-24 / 마태복음 6:19-24

Luke 6:45 - A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Overview:

The greatest treasure we can fill our hearts with yields the response from God that exclaims, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness (Matthew 25:21,23).” This statement of approval comes from the parable of the bags of gold in Matthew 25. In this parable, a man entrusts his servants with his wealth before leaving on a journey. To one he gives five bags of gold, to the second, two bags of gold, and to a third, one bag of gold. The one with five bags of gold went and put his master’s wealth to work and gained five bags more, the one with two bags did the same to gain two bags more, but the one with one bag of gold buried it in the ground and returned it to his master the way it was given to him. To the first two servants, the master shares his approval of their hard work and invites them to share in the great celebration, but to the third servant, the master casts him out into the darkness claiming, “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” So, it is with our treasure in heaven.

The moral of the story does not rest on the difference between how much each servant was given, it rests on the master’s expectation. The master did not expect the one with two bags of gold to overcome the one with five bags of gold and return with six bags of gold nor did he expect the servant with one bag of gold to return with three. The master expected each servant to receive what was given to him and work diligently to their full extent. In the end, whether the servant returned with five more bags of gold or two more bags of gold, their reward was the same; however, the final servant buried the one bag of gold claiming that the master’s expectations were impossible to meet. So, instead of investing the gold, he buries it in the ground. What do you think the gold represents? The gold is not money, but our lives and our purpose. To God, a life that is responsible for five bags of gold is as precious as a life responsible for two. We know this because the master’s expectation was proportional, and the reward was the same. The two servants are rewarded because they live according to what their master had given them and worked diligently to invest and return to the master what was his with a profit. The last servant did not spend the time the master was away living according the bag of gold that was given to him, but instead, buried the gold in the ground and lived his own life and when the master returned, the servant had no profit to offer.

Heavenly Currency:

When we endeavor to understand true value and worth, we must gain wisdom on the currency of heaven. When we travel, we often need to exchange our domestic currency with the foreign one to purchase and sell products in that country. In the same way, our earthly currency in its fleeting and decaying characteristics cannot buy into or invest in heavenly riches. What kind of currency do we need to prepare for our travel to heaven, and how can we exchange the currency we currently have to participate in the economy of heaven?

When the master gives his wealth to his three servants before leaving on a journey for some time, we may find the unfair distribution of wealth unsettling. Our cultural lens would find a master who shared his wealth equally with all three servants and measured their worth based on the difference in profit a fair God. Think carefully, if we were to give $500,000 to a baker to open a small bakery down the street, we would be investing correctly. And in time, it would not be cruel to expect a return on that investment since the business has the potential to outgrow it in profit. However, let’s say we give $500,000 to a child to open a lemonade stand and then we expect that child by the end of the year to have doubled its profits. This would be very cruel. Instead, investing $100 in a lemonade stand and expecting $100 more at the end of the year would be very reasonable, and due to the difference in monetary investment, nobody would claim that this lemonade stand is as valuable and precious as the small business. Does God see wealth in this way? The answer is no. For this reason, worldly currency and our view of wealth does not translate to heavenly riches. God sees the richest person on earth in the same inherent value as a homeless person. He sees the law-abiding citizen as valuable as the prisoner, the master as valuable as the slave, and the child as valuable as the parent (Ephesians 6:5-9). God does not determine the servant’s worth based on the amount given, but the amount given reflects the diversity of their purpose. To God the small business is as valuable as the lemonade stand, and the work of the small business owner is as impressive as that of the lemonade stand merchant. The only difference is the required investment and the type of work. In this way, the servant given one bag of gold is given correctly based on what he or she is called to do for his or her master, while the one given five bags of gold is given correctly based on what he or she is called to do for his or her master. Both would be rewarded not on their gross profits, but on their net gain for the work of the servant who was given one and returned with two, and the servant who was given five and returned with ten would be equally precious and vital in the eyes of the master. If we are still measuring worth based on price rather than intrinsic quality, we are still trying to purchase that which only God can give with our earthly riches.

Instead, God calls us to exchange our worldly thinking and evaluation in determining worth and purpose with heavenly things by first finding satisfaction in how He has created us and what kind of life He has given us. For many of us, our idea of success comes from watching another’s bag and listening to the ever-changing worldly advice on how to be happy. But to be truly happy, we need to be certain that our choices are the right ones not regretful ones. What does Jesus say is the most regretful life and what does Jesus say is the most satisfied life? The most regretful life is the one that is lived for yourself, and the most satisfied life is the one that lives for Christ. The one that receives God’s gift in obedience, works diligently under God’s provision, and seeks to return God His original investment with a heavenly profit is a life that will be without regret. What are these heavenly currencies? In character they are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In action they are giving to those in need, loving our neighbor, praying for our enemies, forgiving our debtors, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, and making disciples of all nations. Moreover, using our God-given, God-permitted resources such as the time and money we have been given, the position God has placed us in, the skills that God has given us, the voice that He has granted us, and the relationships He has brought us to accomplish the purposes of our master is how we are to use our earthly currency and exchange them for heavenly riches. Are we working diligently in this life to build that which God truly values? Or are we like the last servant, burying our Godly purpose away to live life the way we want? Let us think deeply on how we can live this life for heavenly riches rather than for earthly possessions.

Prayer:

1. God, thank you for teaching me about heavenly currency and what you truly value and find worthy.

2. Jesus Christ, help me live a life of meaning and purpose by living for heavenly riches instead of worldly wealth.

3. Holy Spirit, change my heart and perspective that I would see this life according to your love and purpose.

4. 
   

개요:

우리의 마음을 가장 위대한 보물로 채울 때, 하나님은 "그 주인이 이르되 잘하였도다 착하고 충성된 종아 네가 적은 일에 충성하였으매 내가 많은 것을 네게 맡기리니 네 주인의 즐거움에 참여할지어다 하고(마태복음 25:21,23)"라고 말씀하십니다. 이 말씀은 마태복음 25장에서 달란트의 비유에서 비롯됩니다. 한 주인이 먼 여행을 떠나기 전에 종들에게 자신의 재산을 맡깁니다. 한 종에게는 다섯 달란트를, 두 번째 종에게는 두 달란트를, 세 번째 종에게는 한 달란트를 줍니다. 다섯 달란트를 받은 종은 그것을 활용하여 다섯 달란트를 더 벌었고, 두 달란트를 받은 종도 두 달란트를 더 벌었습니다. 하지만 한 달란트를 받은 종은 그것을 땅에 묻어 그대로 보관했습니다. 주인이 돌아와 결산할 때, 처음 두 종에게는 칭찬과 함께 기쁨에 동참할 기회가 주어졌지만, 마지막 종은 주인의 기대를 저버린 죄로 인해 바깥 어두운 곳으로 쫓겨났습니다.

이 비유의 핵심은 종들에게 각각 다른 금액이 주어졌다는 점이 아니라, 주인의 기대에 있습니다. 주인은 두 달란트를 받은 종에게 다섯 달란트를 받은 종과 동일한 수익을 기대하지 않았습니다. 그는 각 종에게 주어진 능력에 따라 충성스럽게 일하기를 기대하셨습니다. 결국, 다섯 달란트를 더 번 종과 두 달란트를 더 번 종의 보상이 동일했습니다. 하지만 마지막 종은 주인의 기대를 부담스럽게 여기고 아무런 시도도 하지 않았습니다. 그렇다면 여기서 금은 무엇을 의미할까요? 금은 단순한 돈이 아니라 우리의 삶과 목적을 상징합니다. 하나님께서는 다섯 달란트의 책임을 맡은 사람이나 두 달란트의 책임을 맡은 사람을 동일한 가치로 보십니다.

하늘의 통화:진정한 가치와 의미를 이해하려면, 우리는 하늘의 통화에 대한 지혜를 얻어야 합니다. 해외로 여행할 때, 우리는 해당 국가에서 사용할 수 있도록 우리 돈을 그 나라의 화폐로 환전해야 합니다. 마찬가지로, 세상의 화폐와 그 속성은 하늘의 부를 살 수 없으며, 우리는 하늘의 경제에 참여할 수 있도록 우리의 화폐를 바꾸어야 합니다.

비유에서 주인이 자신의 재산을 종들에게 나누어 주는 방식이 불공평하다고 느껴질 수도 있습니다. 우리의 문화적 시각으로 보면, 모든 종에게 동일한 금액을 주고, 수익의 차이에 따라 평가하는 것이 더 공정한 것처럼 보일 수 있습니다. 그러나 이 비유의 핵심은 우리가 받은 것이 얼마나 많거나 적냐가 아니라, 우리에게 주어진 것을 어떻게 활용하느냐에 있습니다.

예를 들어, 우리가 한 제빵사에게 500,000달러를 주어 작은 빵집을 열게 한다면, 그것은 적절한 투자일 것입니다. 시간이 지나면 그 빵집은 성장하여 수익을 낼 수 있을 것입니다. 그러나 같은 금액을 어린아이에게 주어 레모네이드 가게를 열도록 한 후, 그 아이에게 동일한 수익을 기대하는 것은 가혹할 것입니다. 대신, 100달러를 투자하여 그가 100달러의 수익을 올리는 것이 더 합리적입니다. 마찬가지로, 하나님은 우리의 능력과 역할에 따라 각기 다른 달란트를 주십니다. 하나님께서 다섯 달란트를 맡긴 사람과 한 달란트를 맡긴 사람을 동일한 가치로 여기시는 이유는, 그들의 순이익이 동일하기 때문입니다. 즉, 하나님은 우리를 맡겨진 일에 따라 평가하십니다. 만약 우리가 여전히 금전적 가치로 삶을 평가하고 있다면, 우리는 여전히 하나님께서 주시는 하늘의 부를 세상의 부로 사려고 하는 것입니다.

대신, 하나님은 우리의 사고방식을 바꾸어 하늘의 가치를 따르도록 부르십니다. 우리가 먼저 우리의 존재와 삶을 하나님께서 창조하신 그대로 받아들여야 합니다. 우리의 성공에 대한 관점이 다른 사람들의 삶을 부러워하는 데서 비롯된다면, 우리는 세상의 시류에 휩쓸릴 수밖에 없습니다. 그러나 진정한 행복은 올바른 선택을 했다는 확신에서 나옵니다. 예수님께서는 가장 후회스러운 삶은 자기 자신만을 위해 사는 삶이며, 가장 만족스러운 삶은 그리스도를 위해 사는 삶이라고 말씀하십니다. 하나님께 받은 달란트를 충실하게 사용하여 하늘의 이익을 남기는 삶이야말로 후회 없는 삶입니다.

그렇다면 하늘의 통화는 무엇일까요? 성품으로는 사랑, 기쁨, 평안, 인내, 친절, 선함, 신실함, 온유, 절제입니다. 행동으로는 가난한 자를 돕고, 이웃을 사랑하며, 원수를 위해 기도하고, 빚진 자를 용서하며, 복음을 전파하고, 모든 민족을 제자로 삼는 것입니다. 또한, 하나님께서 주신 시간과 재물, 우리가 처한 위치, 우리에게 주어진 재능과 목소리, 그리고 하나님께서 우리에게 허락하신 관계를 활용하여 하나님의 목적을 이루는 것이 바로 하늘의 통화를 사용하는 것입니다. 우리는 이 땅에서 하나님께서 진정으로 가치 있게 여기시는 것을 위해 수고하고 있습니까? 아니면 마지막 종처럼 하나님께서 주신 목적을 묻어두고 우리가 원하는 삶을 살고 있습니까? 이제부터는 하늘의 부를 위해 살아가는 법을 깊이 고민해야 합니다.

기도:

1. 하나님, 하늘의 통화와 참된 가치에 대해 가르쳐 주셔서 감사합니다.

2. 예수님, 세상의 부요함이 아니라 하늘의 부요함을 위해 의미 있고 목적 있는 삶을 살도록 도와주세요.

3. 성령님, 제 마음과 관점을 변화시켜 이 삶을 하나님의 사랑과 목적에 맞게 바라볼 수 있도록 해 주세요.