A Warning Against Hoarding
And why a National State of Emergency is the ultimate test of where our treasure is.
The 30 Day Test
They say hindsight is twenty-twenty, but sometimes “foresight” is just as clear when you’ve become used to seeing God move.
Decades ago, in the early 2000’s, I stood at a crossroads. I’d just decided that what I most wanted to do with my life, was to “work for God” fulltime, whatever that even meant!
Up until then I had been involved in various church ministries like Sunday School and the prayer and outreach ministries, but I had this deep sense that I was meant to do more.
No sooner had I come to this decision, or that resolve was tested.
Within the space of 30 days, I received no less than 5 separate offers of employment. And you want to know the strange part?
I had not applied for any of them!
I remember thinking at the time - “this just doesn’t happen”! Especially considering that, at that stage, I’d been a SAHM for at least the past 15 years.
Now to be honest, at the time, just for a split second, it was tempting.
We were going through a tough time financially and it would have been so easy to accept any one of those offers. But as I sat thinking about it, I realized I had a choice to make.
I could choose the security of a guaranteed pay check, or the uncertainty of what I believed to be a Divine calling.
I chose the latter, even though at that stage I had no idea what this “Divine calling” would look like. Fortunately, or perhaps purposefully, God has blessed me with a husband who has always understood and supported my need to serve the Lord.
Fast Forward to Today:
My hair is a bit greyer, and my husband and I are now retired on a farm in South Africa, and once again our resolve is being tested.
This time in the form of a National State of Emergency that has recently been declared because of an outbreak of Foot-And-Mouth Disease which has effectively evaporated our primary source of income because we aren't allowed to move or sell any cattle for what could potentially last for up to a year.
To many this may sound like a catastrophe. But in the midst of it all, I find myself surprisingly at peace. Why? Because I realize I’ve been here before. I know the One who provided when I said “no” to those five job opportunities, is the same One who stands with us now.
Why Am I Telling You This?
Because in Matthew 6 Jesus gives us a blueprint on how to handle situations like this. And also, as I sat down to write this article, the Lord reminded me of that specific time when I had a choice to make. So I believe He wanted me to share it with you.
Matthew 6 v 19
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal…”
Jesus uses these three metaphors to show us that earthly wealth can be temporary and vulnerable.
There’s no guarantee that if I’d accepted any one of those job offers, that that security couldn’t have been taken away just as quickly as it came.
“Do not lay up for yourselves …” implies a deliberate, self-centred stockpiling or hoarding of resources. Pretty much like what we saw during the covid lockdown when people were buying up all the toilet paper they could, with no regard for others who might also need some. (Funny how this image came up as an example😊)
Now while the Bible isn’t against saving or providing wisely for your family, it does warn about placing your ultimate security and identity on material possessions.
So what does Jesus suggest we do?
The exact opposite!
Matthew 6 v 20
“… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, with neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal …”
What Are Heavenly Treasures?
Where Jesus describes earthly treasures as something that can be destroyed or stolen, He describes heavenly treasures as being something that cannot be stolen or destroyed. Things like:
Acts of generosity: Using your earthly resources to help others without expecting anything in return. When we are in Christ, we are meant to think differently about how we handle and use our resources, including our money.
It goes from being mine to keep, to becoming ours to share.
Godly character: When you allow God to transform you, helping you develop virtues like holiness, faith, hope and love. These are qualities that will endure even after you’re gone as people remember you being a person of godly character. Without even realising it, you may be influencing someone else to become more like Christ as they begin to see His characteristics in you.
Working as if for Christ and not for man: Doing righteous acts for God and not for the approval and applause of man. We may think we can fool others by acting all righteous, but they will see right through us when our heart is not in whatever it is we’re doing.
Kingdom work: This can include any activity that has eternal consequences, such as winning souls for Christ, or nurturing the faith of others.
Why is this important?
Matthew 6 v 21:
“For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.”
Our affections, our thoughts, our loyalties, our actions, naturally gravitate toward the place where we have invested most of our time, money and energy.
What we prioritize reveals what is most important to us. What we truly worship.
If you find your heart becoming too attached to the world and earthly treasures, as sometimes happens, Jesus’s advice to you would probably be to redirect your resources.
By intentionally refocusing your attention on Christ and investing in heavenly things, your heart and desires will eventually follow and come into alignment with God’s kingdom.
Choosing The Right Master
Another lesson in Matthew 6 is that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve both God (heavenly treasures) and mammon (earthly treasure).
I have learnt that when we choose to serve the right Master, no matter what comes across our way, our peace doesn’t have to go with it.
This time round the “thief” came in the form of a virus. But little did I know all those years ago when I had that choice to make, that that decision would almost become like a blueprint for my life. Choosing to trust in, to follow, and to serve the One who has already overcome the thief.
I’m still relying on God to come through, just as He did all those years ago when those five job offers were on the table, but experience has taught me that when I make Him, and gathering heavenly treasures my priority, He always blesses us above and beyond what we could ever imagine. No virus is going to change that record.
I don’t want to suggest that this is easy, far from it, but I am secure in the knowledge that God is a faithful, true to His word God, who is not only with us in the midst of this latest storm, but He will surely sustain us also.
As Matthew 6 v 33 says:
“Seek first the kingdom of God (heavenly treasures) and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Choose Indestructible Treasures
As I look out over the fields and see the cattle, I know that even in this storm we have been blessed beyond measure. Where other farmers have had to watch their cattle suffer unimaginable pain, and some have had to shoot their cows to put them out of their misery, our cattle have barely been affected. Some of them lost a bit of weight, and only one has really been affected to the extent that she can’t walk or eat because of the sores in her mouth and on her feet. But for the most part they are walking and eating as usual.
So now we are trusting that the government is going to decide that we don’t have to slaughter all the cattle, even when they have recovered, which is currently the law.
But no matter what lies ahead, on this farm we are standing on solid ground!
To anyone else facing their own “State of Emergency” I want to say: “Don’t let the rust and the thieves of this world steal your focus. Seek first the kingdom of God!