Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also

And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you. And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God. Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither.
	Exodus 10:24–26
Moses and Pharaoh had been duking it out, mixing it up, and sparring round after round . . . Round 1: After being punched with the plagues of blood, frogs, lice, and flies, Pharaoh said to Moses, “I’ll let you and your people serve the Lord—but you must remain in Egypt” (see 8:25). “We’ll be stoned if we stay here,” said Moses. And both returned to their corners. Round 2: “I’ll let you leave the country—but don’t go very far” (see 8:28). “We must go where God directs,” said Moses. And both returned to their corners. Round 3: Having been struck with boils and hail, Pharaoh said, “You and your men can go as far as you want. But your women and children must stay here” (see 10:11). “We’re taking our families,” Moses countered. And both returned to their corners. Round 4: Following the double punch of locusts and darkness, Pharaoh said, “You and your families can go. But your livestock must stay.” “No,” said Moses. “We’re going to take our families and flocks. We’re going to take our kids and our cattle. We’re going to take everything.” Satan seeks to make people compromise in this same way today . . . “Stay in the world,” he says. “Sure, you might have to bake a brick or two, but at least you’re familiar with the system. Why take a risk on what you can’t see? Why leave the known for the unknown? Why set your sights on a kingdom that claims to be eternal, but still invisible?” And when we choose to listen to God instead, Satan changes his tactic, “All right, go ahead and believe in Jesus. But don’t go too far. Don’t get too radical.” And when we ignore him again, Satan says, “Be radical in your faith if you want. But don’t rope your kids into it. When they’re older, let them make their own decision about whether or not to follow Jesus. Until then, leave them in Egypt where they can play soccer and take ballet lessons.” And when we decide, like Moses, that we will worship as families, Satan comes up with a final compromise: “Go ahead. Throw in your lot with God. You and your family can even be radical in your faith. But don’t spend money on it. Don’t tithe. Don’t give God His due. Don’t invest in eternity.” “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” Jesus said (Matthew 6:21). Had Moses left the livelihood of his people in Egypt, their hearts would remained there too. And to the degree that we sink our hearts into the soil of this world, ours remain here as well.