I was watching the news about the wildfires in California last week,
and one lady whose house was burnt down was being interviewed. As she
went through what was left of her home, the reporter asked her if all
her memories were gone because almost all of her house had been
reduced to ashes.
I was surprised to hear the lady say “no,” to the reporter. She
explained, her memories are all in her heart, and in her mind. And
that everything that burned down were just “things,” and what is
important is all of her family members are safe.
While it is not easy to have that kind of mindset in the face of
tragedy, such an unshaken attitude of the lady shows she knew what
really mattered in her life. That her good memories are not attached
to material things, and that her life is not anchored to what is
tangible.
As followers of Jesus, we are being encouraged to pursue a life that
values unseen things, or what is eternal. In his letter to the
Corinthians, St. Paul the Apostle underscored the importance of
seeking what only the heart, soul, and mind can hold on to, and what
will last even beyond our earthly life
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since
what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2
Corinthians 4:18
In today’s world, where much value is placed on visual wealth, it is
easy to fall into the trap of pursuing worldliness: power, prestige,
pleasure, and financial prosperity. While there is nothing wrong about
working for things that we need, we need to know what is enough, and
we have to have a deep sense of contentment in our heart.
But the concept of having enough, and being content can be difficult
to grasp, especially when we continue to be focused on what others
get, what others have, and what others flaunt. The flames of idolatry,
covetousness, envy, greed, and dissatisfaction rage like a roaring
wildfire in our hearts, that we are overrun with these emotions that
in turn fuel our endless pursuit for the tangible yet insignificant
pursuits.
One of the best examples of discontent and over-accumulation of wealth
is Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Man. The man had an abundant harvest and
got more than what he needed, and instead of sharing his wealth and
doing God-honouring things with it, he decided to hoard it.
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and
build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll
say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take
life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool!
This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get
what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with
whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:18-21
When we think about it, all of our material wealth can be gone in a
snap of a finger. It is either the wealth will be gone in an instant
due to something tragic, or we will lose the life that we have to
enjoy it.
If we have not invested in things that are towards eternity, such as
gaining eternal life in Christ Jesus, and making meaningful memories
with our loved ones, we will just be a heap of ash that will soon be
forgotten.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing
into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if
we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those
who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many
senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It
is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many pangs.” 1 Timothy 6:6-10
Moving forward, we have to know what we should value in this lifetime:
Our relationship with God and His presence in our daily life; the
ability to share our faith to others so that they too can look forward
to eternity with Jesus in heaven; making the most of God’s blessings
by making meaningful memories with family and closest friends; and
living our faith, and loving others with God’s love, so that we can be
remembered joyfully by everyone whose lives we were able to touch.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride
of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is
passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God
abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on Luke 12:13-21 and 1 Timothy 6:6-10 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Where do you put value most in your everyday
life? Pursuits for things that are seen, or for the unseen and
eternal?
Conversation with the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for opening
our eyes to what is really important in our life. Please give me the
grace and confidence to keep pursuing the things that are eternal.
Amen.
