As I sat on the 15-hour flight from LA
to Hong Kong, I couldn’t help but think of all the preparation I had
to do for the trip and all of the things I had to purchase & fit
into my pack for a year, one passage kept running through my mind
from the book of Matthew. “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.” Matthew 6:19-21, MSG.
It’s going to be interesting as I
travel around the world this year first, to see how my concerns for
material things change and second, to see what other cultures value
in terms of where their treasures are. It’s funny, because I’d like
to believe, as anyone who knows me well could agree, that I live a
pretty frugal lifestyle. I tend to save and not spend. I don’t like
paying full price for things and try not to eat out without using a
coupon. I’ve been known to ration portions when I eat out and try to
make one meal last for 3 or 4. I try not to spend much and try to buy
only what I need, but when I packed up my stuff into storage before I
left Raleigh, the bins and boxes just kept filling up. I literally
made at least 5 trips to Walmart to buy more storage bins. It’s kind
of ridiculous if I think about it…spending even more money to buy
these plastic bins to save the things for a year that I can most
likely live without.
And even if it’s not material things at
risk of rusting and getting destroyed or stolen, I still risk loss of
wealth & money due to inflation, stock devaluation, bad investments, etc.
Why does Jesus command us to focus not
on storing up earthly treasures but instead on heavenly treasures? In
Ecclesiastes 5:10-16, Solomon described the problem with earthly treasures:
money and abundance do not truly satisfy.
So my question is, have you given much
thought as to how you can let go of some of your worldly treasures
and instead be rich in good works, ready to give and willing to
share? As a wise pastor once inquired, have you ever seen a hearse towing a U-haul to the funeral?
A challenge for myself this year is to store up a good foundation for the time
to come. This life here on earth is only temporary. Life in heaven is
eternal. How do you want your story to end?
