By Dick Brant
A family had been faithful to the Lord for over fifty years. They had raised faithful children and had faithful grandchildren. When the father and grandfather of the family died at the age of 83, the mother moved in with one of the children. I was involved in helping with the move, and as you might expect it took a lot of sorting out, still there were a lot of things and a lot of memories in each box.
A few years later, I helped her move to a senior living facility. Of course, there were not as many boxes, bags and crates as with the first move. But still, it seemed like a lot.
The mother still came to services along with her children and grandchildren. But as the time passed, it was necessary to move her to a care facility.
This move to me was very sad. She moved with only two bags of personal things and one dress; the dress she said she would be buried in. In four moves I could see she moved fewer and fewer things until it truly was just two bags, the many things of this world were all left were behind.
Now I would think most of us could tell a similar story of people that spend their lives collecting and acquiring things of this world, and of course, left it all behind.
The scriptures teach us how to think properly about the things of this world. Notice with me just a few.
I Tim. 6:7-10 “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Job 1:20-21 “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Mat. 6:19-21 “Don’t 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 neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Eph. 4:28 “Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need.”
So, as we work day-by-day to support our family, helping others and being a good steward before the Lord, let us also keep in mind that the riches of this world is not our goal.
Maybe all we do need are “two bags” and a dress or a suit.
Via “Daily Bread”, Bear Valley church of Christ