Thursday 2nd April - Beyond mothballs, corrosion and thieves

DAILY BYTE

The first thing Jesus tells us in respect to treasures is that to treasure things that are ‘upon the earth’ is not a smart strategy for treasuring. Treasure of the earth, by their very nature, simple cannot be held intact. Here is where ‘moth and rust destroys things, and thieves dig through walls and steal’ (Matt. 6. 19). Even cyberspace is not safe from ‘viruses’, power failure and the disappearance of backups.

This can be very depressing to think about if you know of no alternative. Leo Tolstoy has a very interesting journey to faith in this regard. As is well known, he fell into a lengthy, suffocating depression because of the vision that everything he valued would die or otherwise pass away. This was after he became one of the most successful authors the world has ever known. But the ‘world-view of the educated’ that imposed itself on him was one of utter hopelessness, much as it is today. Through the teachings of Jesus he found an alternative, and such an alternative as soon delivered him from hopelessness about life and from the meaninglessness of human work.

So the wisdom of Jesus is that we should ‘lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven’ (6:20), where forces of nature and human evil cannot harm what we treasure. That is to say, direct your actions towards making a difference in the realm of spiritual substance sustained and governed by God.

Invest your life in what God is doing, which cannot be lost.

Of course this means that we will invest in our relationship to Jesus himself, and through him to God. But beyond that, and in close union with it, we will devote ourselves to the good of other people – those around us within the range of our power to affect.

These are among God’s treasures! ‘The Lord’s portion,’ we are told, ‘is his people’ (see focus reading). And that certainly includes ourselves, in a unique and fundamental way. We have the care of our own souls and lives in a way no one else does, and in a way we have the care of no one else.

And we also care for this astonishingly rich and beautiful physical realm, the earth itself, of which both we and our neighbours are parts. ‘You have established the earth and it continues. All things stand this day according to your directions. For all things are your servants’ (Ps 119. 91). God himself loves the earth dearly and never takes his hands off it. And because he loves it and it is good, our care of it is also eternal work and a part of our eternal life.

PRAY AS YOU GO

O God you treasure all this earth from your most majestic works of creation down to the tiniest little creature in the deep, blue sea. Help us to begin to treasure that which you care for so deeply – others, ourselves and your very creation. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Matthew 6:19-21 (MSG)

Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust, or worse, stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.