ROTTEN SAVINGS
I’m sure he considered it a brilliant solution, but it backfired. An 82-year-old man from Beijing was rather mistrustful of banks. So he dug a hole in the ground and deposited all his money in his personal “savings and loan institution.” Five years later, when he needed some cash, the man attempted to make a “withdrawal,” and dug it up. To his dismay, he discovered that his cash was moldy. He was able to salvage only one-third of his life savings.
Likewise, an Arab sheikh who mistrusted banks, placed his cash in boxes under his bed. Following his death, his family found that rats had gotten to the money first and chewed up literally millions of dollars!
In Matthew 6:19-20, Jesus commands, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust [and rats, BC] destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Forgive me for inserting "rats" into the Biblical text, but I think you get the idea. Whatever this world offers does not endure.
Where do our treasures lie? In the decaying, rat-infested goodies of this present life; or in the eternal, imperishable, spiritual values? It's one of our biggest struggles— focusing our minds on the temporal to the neglect of the timeless. I’m not just talking about money. Anything mundane and material can pull our thoughts away from eternity, faster than a purse-snatcher. That’s why God said, “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2).
More than ever, our minds are being enticed toward “earthly things”— like a powerful magnet—whether it’s pleasure, politics, or the pursuit of prosperity. I’m not suggesting these are wrong of themselves. But trusting in them leaves us spiritually bankrupt, like moldy life’s savings.
Psalm 131:3 declares, “Put your hope in the LORD, both now and forevermore.” Perhaps so many of us are feeling hopeless because we’re putting our hope in the wrong place. We look to this world for fulfillment, and then wonder why we feel empty and unsatisfied. Focusing on the eternal fills our hearts with hope, joy, and peace. Let’s ask God to turn our eyes away from the temporal and onto the eternal. Because in the end, all this world offers is merely a wad of moldy, rat-chewed life savings!
*Note: To learn more of the hope Jesus offers, check out my book, Thriving in Troubled Times, on Amazon.
Principle: Focusing on what this world offers leaves us empty and unfulfilled.
Promise: Focusing on eternity fills us with hope, joy, and peace.
Ponder:
At what times and in what situations do I find myself tempted to fixate on this world?
How can I turn my mind to the things that are above?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Matthew 6:19-34.
Prayer: “Lord, my mind is so easily pulled away and distracted by this world. Remind me where my true treasure lies.”
Perceptions: Record any ideas God puts on your heart from today’s devotion.