Currently, our elder’s are reading through Paul David Tripp’s book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in need of Change Helping people in Need of Change and its proven to be a great reminder of some fundamental truths of how we minister to people.  Here are some principles he shares about “why do people do the things they do?”:

• Your heart is always being ruled by someone or something
• The most important question to ask when examining the heart is, “what is functionally ruling this person’s heart in this situation?”
• Whatever controls my heart will control my responses to people and situations.
• God changes us not just by teaching us to do different things, but by recapturing our hearts to serve him alone.
• The deepest issues of the human struggle are not issues of pain and suffering, but the issue of worship, because what rules our heart will control the way we respond to both suffering and blessing.

Ultimately, it’s a matter of treasure.  So ask yourself, what do you treasure?  In Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus teaches us that (1) everyone seeks some kind of treasure, (2) that your treasure will control your heart and (3) what controls your heart will control your behavior.

And there are only two kinds of treasures: earthly and heavenly. What rules you?