“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:21 (NLT)
Have Too Much or Everything?
I have too much! Earrings in a chest that are never chosen, clothes taking up space in the closets and drawers because “I might wear them someday,” dishes stacked away in a cupboard to be used on a special occasion that doesn’t ever seem to come, pictures on every wall, shelves full of knick-knacks, not to mention the garage attic that is full of the things I don’t know what else to do with. I have too much!
There used to be a time when I wanted more, more, more, and truth be told, I sometimes spent money I shouldn’t have to get it. Now that I’m older, “stuff” doesn’t mean nearly as much to me anymore. In fact, sometimes it feels as if it gets in my way.
Remember the story of the rich young ruler? ( Mark 10:17-31) He asks Jesus what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus instructs him to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then to follow Him. The disheartened man sadly walked away. His many possessions got in the way of his relationship with Jesus.
And then there’s the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:18-19) when Jesus tells His listeners that the seed that falls among the thorns is an example of those who hear God’s word but the message eventually gets crowded out by the worries of life and the desire for other things resulting in no fruit being produced. Those worries and things get in the way of being productive for God.
If we continue with the story of the young ruler, Jesus tells his followers that the more we have, the harder it is to put Him first in our lives, or as He says, harder even than for “a camel to get through the eye of the needle.” (vs.25) Having more, more, more in this life can make us poor, poor, poor if we let it get in the way of eternal life.
“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”
1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NLT)
If you’re like me and “have too much,” that means we ARE the “rich in this world.” Now, I don’t feel that God is asking me to sell all that I have (at least not now), but I do think He’s reminding me, and maybe you too, that we need to check our priorities. What are we holding on to, filling up, and saving for? Are we building up our collections of things or our relationship with the One we need most? What are we more concerned with, all that we have or what we can give to others? Are we living lives measured by an abundance of possessions that are here today and gone tomorrow or storing our treasures for life eternal?
In this world, it’s easy to believe that what we have defines who we are. We must be careful to not let the stuff of life get in the way of our true identity in Christ because…it’s in Him that we have everything!
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