Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be Also

As I passed this house on a walk through campus, I thought to myself, "Wow, they did well. Look at that. I wish I could live in such a house." But the more I thought about it, the more ominous the house became to me. By the time I stood up to go back to class, I had a much different opinion than my initial impression.

What makes the world go 'round? Happiness? Peace? No and no. Could it be love? Not a chance. The world, or at least the portion of the world deemed important, does not survive on human emotion, good works, or law, but it is driven and fueled by money. What is money? Webster says money is a unit that "measures value or worth." I believe this is a very accurate definition. We go to school to learn so, in time, we will learn a trade in order to make money. Generally speaking, we are happy in times of excess and sad in times of depletion. Why? Because money can provide a man with comfort in this life. We are taught that money is important. In a Christian school, we are taught that money is important and told that money is evil. We are informed that we need to make money and we are preached to about why money means nothing. Though this may seem hypocritical, it is expected. We live in a world where we need money. But we were made for a different purpose. Where is that line and how do we live on faith alone in an environment where we are taxed on our very breath?

The rich in this world are important. The rich are successful. The rich are revered. The rich have power in this life that those without money do not possess. However, is this the final say? The Word has a much different opinion of the rich man. In 1 Timothy 6:9 it says "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and traps and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction." Is this view cynical or accurate? Many want to get rich, but few succeed to the desired degree. Those who fail, crash hard into "ruin and destruction." But what about those who do succeed? Christ says in Mark 10:25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God!" Christ had a much more comprehensive view of man's existence than a mere man does. He understood that the wealth in this life only distracts us from our ultimate goal, Heaven. Christ reinforces this idea when he says in Luke 12:34 "Sell your possessions and give to the poor: Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." The words reverberate in my mind, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Is our treasure on Earth? Is our stock in wealth or is it in God?

In today's economy, nothing is certain, all is unstable. There is no firm investment except the investment of the heart in Christ's firm foundation. Wealth is uncertain! The world is incapable of ensuring the security of your money, wealth, or your material treasure. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 says "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God...and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

In my mind, God was laughing when He said this one, but the implications might even be disturbing to some: Leviticus 25:23 says "And remember, the land is Mine, so you may not sell it permanently. You are merely My tenants and sharecroppers!" We are renting! We do not even own the land that we have bought. So how should we live when the land is not our own, money is uncertain, and the world does not have our back, no matter what the government may claim. The best example of how to use your money may be this: Jesus pointed out a particular woman to his disciples in Mark 12:42-44, "But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins (to the offering in the temple), worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.'" If this woman had faith enough to, even in her poverty, give to God, then how should we of more comfortable circumstances use our money? We are told to tithe, but do we only allow God hold of 10% of our finances? We are taught to live by faith, for Christ has our back if we put our stock in him. No other man, woman, or system in existence can make such a claim.

The ominous house, framed by the trees, and lifted by the extensive stair case, was just a house, a symbol of wealth, and possibly a warning to those who consider the implications of wealth in this life. I rarely get a chill up my spine when I press that little silver button and hear the sound of my shutter, but this was one of the more singular experiences.