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{Since the Heavenly Trade Is the Best Trade…
Exhortation to Good Traders in Christianity
Advice: Lay Up for Glory}
If you have good trading in grace, then lay up for glory. If you are wisdom’s merchants, Heaven is your country and home, the place of your rest and eternal residence. The world is a strange country to you, a spot of ground where you are placed for a while so that you may trade to get commodities for your heavenly country. You were sent into the world, as Jacob was sent to Paddan-aram to provide for his own house, and then to return to his country (Genesis 30:30).1623 “Arise and go, for this is no place to rest, because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction” (Micah 2:10 ESV). Christian, you were not sent here to take root in the earth, or as the raven, let out of the ark (Genesis 8:7)1624 to build your nests in the world. You are not, as the fool in the Gospel, to take your rest in your full barns and increased goods (Luke 12:20).1625 Rather, you are to be as Joseph, who was sent ahead of time to Egypt to make provision for his own country (Genesis 45:5),1626 and as Solomon’s ships sent to Tarshish to transport materials useful for the house of God and Solomon’s own house (1 Kings 10:22; 1 Kings 5:9).1627 All that you are allowed here is only as an outpost for present use. You will receive some necessities and refreshments, but your great business is to get such goods as will sell in your own country [Heaven]. Remember, you are left here for a while to fill your sacks for your own home where your kindred and habitation are. Your Father’s house, your own dwelling, your treasures, pleasures, crowns, throne, and all that you will have forever is in your city above, whose maker and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10).1628 “We know only a little of Christ’s love,” said Mr. Cooper, “until all is perfected and spread before us in Heaven.” Oh, lay up for Heaven! Treasure up all you can for the other world where you are going. Especially lay up these four things for Heaven:
Hopes for glory;
Desires for glory;
Treasures for glory;
Preparation for glory.
1623“For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?” (Genesis 30:30 NASB).
1624“And he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth” (Genesis 8:7 NASB).
1625“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’” (Luke 12:20 NKJV).
1626“And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5 ESV).
1627Actually, Solomon used the ships of Tarshish as merchant ships. When Solomon built the Temple, Hiram floated rafts of logs for wood for the Temple and his house. “For the king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks” (1 Kings 10:22 NASB). “My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place where you direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you shall carry them away. Then you shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household” (1 Kings 5:9 NASB).
1628“For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10 NASB).
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