“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)
Death – the great equaliser. No matter what you have acquired or achieved, we all have to face it at one time or another. So, why do people spend so much time pursuing the almighty dollar instead of the Almighty God?
One of the reasons why people put so much faith in money and accumulating wealth is that it is tangible, and they can immediately see the results of using it. They don’t have to look for it as it can be right in front of them because it is something they can touch, feel and in some cases, use. Most of all, they can show it off to other people to make some sort of statement about themselves.
Today, some of the richest people in the world are treated as celebrities. People are fascinated with their lives and excesses. They aspire to be like the people they admire and so they go about implementing and using any advice that is offered in order to become rich themselves. In the process, they neglect to look at the lifestyle and values some of these rich people have. Some rich people would rather promote and help themselves instead of others.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with accumulating wealth, the problem is what do you do with it. Some people use their money to make more money, while others look at philanthropic endeavours and then there are some who just hide or bury it away for future personal use. Whatever the reason, the tangible treasure they own keeps increasing but ultimately, they leave this world the same way they came – with nothing.
God, however, does not want us to leave here with nothing. Instead of putting our faith in money we should put our faith in Him. There are many unseen treasures in this world and a lot of them don’t require money. Friendships, good family relationships and helping others leave a better legacy than a million dollars could ever. No-one will remember how much money you had but they will remember how much love you had.
Love is the only real treasure we can and should be storing up here on Earth because it is one of the things that can be stored in Heaven. When it is time to depart this life, you can go with the full knowledge that you can take love with you and that love will be waiting for you for you when you get to your final destination. What you do with your earthly treasures matters to God.
It is okay to save money but what will you do if you have more than you or your family needs? Will you use it to buy things that make a statement about you, or will you use it to make a statement about how much you loved others? Is the pursuit of riches more important to you than pursuing what God wants you to do?
God wants us to use our money wisely on Earth and to always remember that we can’t take it with us.