Ever watch The Price is Right? It was one of my childhood staples. All the summers before my 16th birthday I would plan my day around watching that game show. Recently, my daughter and I were watching old 1980s re-runs of the show with host Bob Barker. We watch the contestants jump in joy winning prizes and gadgets like new washers and dryers, new hatchback cars, trucks and boats. Oh How all these prizes were new and shinny 40 years ago. As Layla and I watched, we wondered if the people still have any of these outdated things today. An old lawnmower is probably rusting in a junkyard now...cars perhaps compounded and used for other things today. Every physical thing these people won are now old, dated, obsolete or gone. It makes me think of how much time and effort we put into working so hard to obtain physical things, and covet cars or trucks or homes...How much we long for someone else’s money or possessions. In the blink of an eye 40 years later, it seems all in vain. Not that I’m saying wanting nice things is wrong. I’m only saying all the effort we put into obtaining certain things is where our focus should not be. What if we made that much effort and put that much passion and energy into investments that were lasting and eternal ...like our relationships, our children, our friends or family or our personal selves. If we placed that energy into eternal investments, we make our relationships with ourselves, our family’s and God reap such rich dividends. Now and forever. Time and energy invested with God will never rust, go outdated or become obsolete or be put in a junkyard. That price will always be right. Investments we make in our relationships will gain endless value and will withstand the test of time.
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I John 2:7 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Matthew 22:37-40 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Luke 12:15. Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”