Give Up Your Treasures? (Pt. 2)

I brought my treasure box back today. Do you remember what’s in this box? Right. My treasures—reminders of the special times in my life. Do you remember what Jesus said about hanging on to the treasures of our lives? He said don’t do it. He said we should look ahead to heaven and all the things that wait for us there. He said holding on to the things of this earth could lead to missing the great things in heaven.

That’s kind of hard to understand. But this box also holds some reasons why Jesus said don’t hold on. Last week we said we shouldn’t hold on because these things just don’t stay important. As we go on in life we lose interest in things that seem to be the most important.

Another reason is here in these bags. You know what these are? They’re flowers. When Pastor Mike and I were dating, when we were falling in love, he used to send me flowers. That made me feel so special, because flowers are expensive and they don’t last. But Pastor Mike spent the money anyway. And within a week, the flowers would die. I put the best ones in these bags to remember that special feeling.

I think another reason we shouldn’t hold on to things is because they don’t last. They wear out. They break down. They die. But still some people hold on to things so much they try to keep them from wearing out. Sometimes adults get silly about this. They might have special dishes they never use because they could get broken. Or they have nice furniture you can’t sit on because it could get dirty.

Do you have a favorite toy? Do you play with it a lot? Does it look like the day you got it? No. The only way you could keep it looking brand new is to not play with it. Just keep it sealed in the box. Here’s where adults can get silly again. Did you know some people collect things like Barbies and Tonka trucks? They’ve got dolls and trucks that are over 40 years old, but they’ve never been out of the boxes they come in. These toys are more valuable if their boxes are never opened. The only reason they’re worth anything is because it’s never been played with. That’s kind of backwards, isn’t it? They’re only valuable because they’ve never been used for what they were made for. Where’s the treasure in that?

Things lose their value if they’re used. And when things get used, they wear out. So Jesus said appreciate what you have on earth. Enjoy these things and use them wisely. But don’t waste your energy treasuring things you can’t play with, things that don’t last. Instead treasure what God has for you. You can enjoy the things of God today and they will never wear out, you’ll never grow tired of them. Isn’t that exciting?