“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do
not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also. Matthew 6:19-21
This scripture is best illustrated by the testimony of a nameless (for
security) Arab Christian woman:
“My grandfather was born in one village, grew up, got married and died in the
same village. I was born in one city, and by the age of ten, I already had lived
in three different countries and moved five times because my parents were
looking for better job opportunities. After marriage, and by the age of
thirty-five, I had already moved fifteen times mainly because of three different
war situations in my home country!
Is there some kind of prize for people moving so often? Some of the changes
were done willingly but for most of them, I had no choice! I lived in stone
houses, brick houses and even in a prefabricated one (with thin walls like
cardboard) and that was at a time when Beirut was being bombarded! I have to
admit that I had fears not because of the bombardment but because of not being
able to find a place we could afford to pay rent!
One day, I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep; so, I sat down to figure out
how I would overcome this fear. I thought to myself, What is the worst thing
that can happen to me? If I cannot afford to sleep in a building, I will go and
sleep under a tree; no one would charge me money for doing that and no one has
died because of sleeping under a tree!
Then, I looked back into the past years and saw how God had taken good care
of me, helping me not only to survive during wartime, but also to be productive
and render services to my community. If, by faith I am God’s child, according to
His promises in the Bible, He will continue to take care of me. So, having these
thoughts, I began singing, “You are my hiding place, You always fill my heart
with songs of deliverance, Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you!” That
was it, my fears were gone! I still do not own my own place to live, but I carry
the same song in my heart and in my laptop, to listen to whenever I change the
places I sleep!
I discovered that the best thing to do is not to get attached to material
things or even people, because they will be there for some time and will be gone
soon. The best thing is to get my heart attached to God, because He will go with
me everywhere, will provide for me what I need and in the end take me to live in
the heavenly city where my eternal house is! So, where is your house?”
RESPONSE: Today I will seriously evaluate where my “treasure” and “house”
are because that’s where Jesus says my heart will also be.
PRAYER: Help me Father to accumulate treasures in heaven and not on
earth.