Choosing my Master

Compared to eternity, life here is a small blip. Yet as my devotional reading today points out, heaven is virtually ignored by today’s Christians. There is hardly any preaching, teaching or books on the subject, but there are huge amounts of material available on prospering in this life.

Jesus had much to say about prosperity. To those who had nothing, He told them not to fret but to trust God who will take care of them. To those who had much, He said,

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on 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 and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

This passage is soon followed by “You cannot serve God and mammon” (riches, vs. 24). The idea of moths, rust and thieves make it clear that this is more than money. It is about the accumulation of stuff, but more than that, it is about priorities. Will it be serving God? Or the accumulation of stuff?

For the past two or three years, I’ve been trying to do the opposite of accumulation. We have moved many times over the years, and by being in this house for ten years, and the one before it (only a few blocks away) for six years, the stuff has accumulated. Acquiring it seems to be easier than getting rid of it. Not wanting to be wasteful, we spend considerable time looking for a good home for whatever has not yet succumbed to rust or moths. Sometimes I want to bring in a dumpster (a large trash bin) and be done with it.

One commentary says this passage could be translated as, “Do not give priority to this, but give priority to that” adding that it is not necessarily sinful to have assets such as insurance, retirement plans, and savings accounts. Proverbs 13:22 and 2 Corinthians 12:14 say that parents are to save for their children. The idea is more that we cannot take it with us, but we can invest it now in the future. However, saving those assets is still about earthly accumulation and not heaven.

Treasure in heaven is not about stuff but seems to refer to doing good for others. Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21)

Paul later wrote, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

From these and other passages, I gather that it is not wrong to be rich or have stuff. God is more concerned with my priorities and what I do with what I have. As Jesus said, if I prioritize having stuff, I cannot be at the same time concerned about serving Him.

Perhaps the problem in North America is not the lack of teaching about heaven, but the focus of prosperity and the lack of teaching about the sin of selfishness. My sin nature wants its way all the time, and wants bigger, better, and more stuff. Without continual input from the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, I would be more concerned about accumulation than I would be about doing good and helping others.

As my reading today says, wherever I concentrate my efforts, that reveals where my treasure is. If I make all this stuff a priority, one day God and the stuff will make opposing demands. I’m very aware how habits and sin so easily result in picking the wrong master.