Homes and Other Treasures

Monday January 26, 2015

Recently I decided to renovate the living room of our old terrace house. I painted the ceiling and replaced the ugly and dated lights. I took down the faded curtains and put up roller blinds. I spent hours on the walls - sanding off flaking paint, filling the many dents and holes, resanding, then applying multiple coats of new paint. A cement slab in the corner was removed and new tiles were laid. The fireplace also needed to be replaced. Finally, I sanded back the skirting boards and repainted them with gloss. It was hard work, but I felt proud of the changes I saw each day.

About halfway through the project, our town was hit by floods. A similar flood in 2007 had put our house one meter underwater. Thanks to provisions made since then, we suffered only an inch of water filing the kitchen, but other houses on our street had their living rooms flooded. It was a stark reminder that all the work we had put into it could be gone so quickly.

Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3). I can imagine Him excelling at His work and feeling a sense of accomplishment at a job done well. I can´t be sure, but I can imagine Him being disheartened if a catastrophe like a flood had ruined His work before it was complete.

Nevertheless, Jesus was clear : as important as material possessions (like homes) can be, they must never be our treasure (Matthew 6:19). Only God is our treasure (v.20). Ultimately, all we own will decay, and much is vulnerable to theft (v.19). Our heart and its desires must be centred on God and His Kingdom (vv. 21, 33). He must be our prime possession.

I take joy in my completed living room, yet it could all be gone tomorrow. But Jesus? I´ll have Him forever! - Sheridan Voysey

Read
Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

Luke 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man´s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
And he told them this parable : "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
Then he said, 'This is what I´ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I´ll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 
This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Question to Ponder
Do you cling to your home, savings or possessions? 
What will you do today to relinquish them into God´s hands?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue