Matthew 6: 19--21
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
--NASB In the name of the One Who guards the eternal treasures, amen.
America the beautiful; where else can you get up in the morning and shave with a disposable razor, dry your hands with a disposable towel, blow your nose with disposable handkerchiefs, prepare food in a disposable cooking dish, eat off of a disposable plate, take a photograph of the sunrise with a disposable camera, and write a note with a disposable pen to your disposable family? These disposable things keep our economy going, and in them we invest, in one way or another, great sums of hard earned money.
Sad, very sad, yet it is at least honest. Our world is disposable. So much of what we touch, so much of what we value has no real value. It does not last into eternity. It will all end up on the garbage heap of material refuse where it will rot. Even many of the relationships we build fall into this category.
But there are things that matter: the praise of our Savior for our feeble good works, the honor given for being a good steward, and the salvation of a soul; these are things that last for eternity. The person sitting next to you, your parents, children or spouse, the person who talks in the movie theater, the drunk on the street, your neighbor who lets his dog do its job on your lawn; these people have infinite value. They have infinite value because Jesus Christ the Son of God gave His precious body into death for them. You too have that same value. You too were made to last, and last, and last.
You call it. How should you invest? Should it be in another box of Cleanex? Or should it be in a soul that could be kneeling next to you in eternity. What about the bum on the street--the one who hasn't had a bath for a couple of weeks, the one who obviously is on drugs or drunk--is he worth the five bucks for a meal? More than that, is he worth thirty minutes of your time talking about what cleanses the soul? How you answer that question can make the difference between the eternal waste basket, or the eternal hutch for him.
May the God who created you as an eternal soul give you His Holy Spirit of wisdom, may He open your eyes to see, and your heart to love the eternal treasures that are all around you. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, forgive us for the times that gave less thought to investing in eternal things than we did to buying a new toothbrush. Help us to make sound investments when it comes to eternal things. Help us not to let opportunities pass by us. Bless our efforts so that they give a great return. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.