Heaven

Heaven

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.

Matthew 6:19-21

Money solved some of the longings of Christina Onassis. With a weekly income of about one million dollars, she was able to buy just about anything she wanted. When she was living in Europe and wanted Diet Coke, which at the time was available only in the United States, she dispatched her private jet to buy a month’s supply—and it cost $30,000 per trip! She wanted twenty-four-hour companionship, so she sometimes offered friends $20,000 or $30,000 a month to stay with her. Sadly, Christina’s life did not end well. She died at thirty-seven of a heart attack that was likely brought on by repeated dieting bouts and her overuse of barbiturates. All the money in the world didn’t buy her happiness.

We sometimes hear people say, jokingly, “The only things certain about life are death and taxes.” The only thing certain about riches is that they, like moths and rust, pass away and don’t satisfy. Moths and rust are both pictures moms can identify with. We may use mothballs in some of our storage places to prevent female moths from leaving our garments full of holes. The damage these little critters cause happens slowly and quietly, like rust on our cars. Moths and rust remind us that earthly treasures don’t last forever.

What are our treasures? What has great value to us? Is it money, clothes, our house? All the treasures in the world are not enough to satisfy our souls. Our treasures on earth can be used for eternity, however, and if we focus on God’s Word and people’s souls, those investments will last.

Father,

Thanks for reminders that all our earthly goods pass away. May our hearts be focused on what’s lasting and eternal. Amen.