Timeless Treasures
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money… For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 16:13, 12:34)
Is your money safe? Some of our friends’ money is stuck in DR Congo or South Africa as the countries battle political instability and xenophobia; some money is being stolen from stable Ugandan banks by some crafty hackers; even government money is at high risk as hackers don’t seem to fear the Ministry of Finance, Uganda Revenue Authority or even Bank of Uganda with all the tight security – they have attempted to steal from there too! Jesus Christ warns against the thief and the moth that steal and destroy our treasures stored here on earth. The Lord instead points us to the most secure investment location where you are sure of timeless treasures when you invest there – store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
The world itself will challenge the greedy spirit that drives treasure hunters as we get more and more dematerialized and demonetized; the question will be, how much money do we really need? Peter Diamandis invites us to consider about twenty years ago: most well-off US citizens owned a camera, a video camera, a CD player, a video game console, a cell phone, a watch, an alarm clock, a set of encyclopedias, a world atlas, a Thomas Guide, and a whole bunch of other assets that easily add up to more than $10,000. All these now come standard on today’s smart phones, or are available for purchase at the app store for less than a cup of coffee. That’s how quickly today’s $10,000 worth of expenses can vanish. One has to seriously question the value of treasures on earth.
God has put a social security system that works; at least it works among the ravens and the flowers. He therefore warns us against worrying about food, water and clothing – the basic needs. In fact, right up to the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, God will take care of you. Pagans run after these things – to get them by their own effort, but Jesus assures His followers that ’your Father knows that you need them’; that is as good as saying ‘your Father will provide for you what you need’. Our hearts should therefore not be bound to earthly treasures and the pursuit thereof; such hearts will be broken severally!
To store up treasurers for yourself in heaven, God has put in place opportunities: Evangelist Luke concentrates his gospel on God’s care for the lower class; in Chapter 12, Jesus specifically says, ‘Sell your possessions and give to the poor’. This is not only God’s will revealed in the gospel, but it’s that nature that He has created us with, as attested to by what the richest people do at the epitome of their achievement. They go into philanthropy – charity, giving to the poor; they can find satisfaction in nothing else. But doing it in accordance with our Father’s will and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ guarantees treasurers in heaven – these are the real ever-safe timeless treasures.
God bless you.