We Follow Our Hearts : Stewart Kong
Matthew 6:21 (ESV)
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I remember this Bible verse as the one that triggered my total commitment to following Christ about 9 years ago.
When I was fresh out of law school, I was making money as a single guy with few bills. I lived in Manhattan within walking distance to my job. Work was plentiful and the economy was great. I had not been attending church for a few years at this juncture in life and was overwhelmed by the money centered culture of Manhattan. With all the work I was given and the money earned therefrom, I created my own world consisting of walking to and from my office every day and then getting into online shopping, specifically winning Ebay auctions with the rest of my free time. I was soon winning Frank Sinatra collectibles almost every hour of every day, resulting in my coming home to a pile of packages so tall that I couldn’t see over them to get to the elevator. I even engaged an online sniping service to bid on my behalf within seconds before an auction ends, ensuring me the best price within my budget. This would go on for about 10 years until I would get married and meet Christ as my redeemer. Looking back on these 10 years certainly reveals my driest spiritual period in life. I had undergone absolutely no relational development whatsoever during this period!
One day after I was married with a couple kids, I went to a Christian mountain retreat and met Jesus all over again. When I heard Matthew 6:21 read aloud, it sank into my heart, and God showed me that the source of my addiction was the condition of my heart. With this revelation, I accepted Jesus that day and was soon able to quit my chain-smoking addiction cold turkey and put a complete halt to buying collectibles. Even though I still possessed 12 steamer trunks of Frank Sinatra collectibles, my heart changed towards treasuring God, the church, my marriage, children, co-workers, and neighbors. I never saw these collectibles the same way again. They were simply objects destined for the trash can one day. But God is so great! Over a period of another 15 years, I was able to sell off a majority of these collectibles and recoup whatever I had originally spent. For me, following Christ was the answer to the dead-end life I was living. Now eternal joy awaits as I plow along to finish well. I just pray that I will not fall into unbelief but grow even stronger in belief. What I do believe for sure is that my life depends on it!
Today, I still learn to stay focused on Christ centered living. Another Bible verse that recently reminded me to remain fixated upon Christ and God’s kingdom is Luke 9:62, “Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” I also pray that I will never look back but only forward to finish a race of endurance rather than speed.