Laying Up Treasures (Number 3 in a series)

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust 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 (NIV)


For four nights, I unloaded the rooftop container on the car and carried the duffel bags into my motel of the evening. For four mornings, I carried them back out and repacked the rooftop carrier. I must have made quite a sight: an overweight middle-aged woman dragging a series of tightly packed bags in and out of the local budget motel! Along with the bags, there was my little dog and her gear.

Other than my laptop computer, my purse and Shady’s food and medicine, I wasn’t taking anything from the interior of the car. All of those contents stayed put. One of the items was a portable ice chest. It was so buried under other things, I wasn’t been able to add ice to it or get any of the beverages out of it the whole trip. Snacks I had purchased to eat in lieu of buying meals along the way were likewise buried in the depths of the back seat. I could only hope the rain I’d experienced the first three days hadn’t ruined everything.

Looking back on my folly, I was reminded again of the uselessness of trying to acquire “things” here on earth. In the process of packing up for this move I had given away a large number of items. Another list of things had been damaged through mishaps and discarded. Of all the things I had owned, only a few had made it to the point of the move and now some of them were in danger of being lost to water damage or mildew.

There will always be something threatening the security of worldly possessions: natural disaster, theft, financial hardship. No complete safety is available here in this life. Only in Jesus Christ can we find shelter from the ills of the world. I’m so grateful to have a Savior who offers me eternal security in His arms.

Where do you look for your security? Are you counting on possessions or people like government leaders? Do you depend on your net worth? Take time today to look to the true Source of all security: Jesus Christ. Those under His care know true safety.

© 2008 Mary Beth Magee