May 22 ~ Matthew 6:19-21
“Don’t hoard treasure down here where
it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by
burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and
rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure
is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, a
wealthy businessman dug a hole in his back yard and made a big media
“splash” as he claimed he would bury his $500,000 Bentley there. His
excuse was that he had studied the burial practices of Egyptian Pharaohs
and wanted to ensure that he had a luxurious ride to the next life.
People were stunned that this man was actually going to bury this
expensive car…and as it turned out, this was all a publicity stunt.
The
man had survived a serious illness, and he was trying to make a point
that people bury something more valuable than this half-million-dollar
car every day – their body organs. He claimed that he was trying to
raise awareness for organ donations. Okay…I guess that’s one way to do
it!
The point is that we really can’t take it with us…and an
expensive car in the ground will not transport us to Heaven in luxury!
But there IS treasure we can store for Heaven…love, grace, mercy,
compassion, forgiveness, faithful obedience to God’s will, empathy,
kindness, service to others, and more. When our treasure is the kind
that demonstrates Christian faith and discipleship, God will exchange
this for blessings and abundance when He calls us to Heaven. Material
wealth is not heavenly currency!
So think about what matters most
to you. Are you more interested in accumulating “things”…or
blessings? Is it more important to you what others think of you…or are
you more concerned with serving – and pleasing – God? Is your time
better spent making yourself feel good and important in the “here and
now”…or in helping to build God’s Kingdom for all Eternity?
What
really matters to you…and what will matter when you get to Heaven? If
the two do not line up, something is out of whack somewhere. It’s up to
us to figure it out and make necessary adjustments. What are YOU
storing these days?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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