19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matthew 6:19-21
Religion has been around from the very beginning. From Adam to Noah to Abraham, there has always been religion. One thing that each of these religions agreed on was that there was indeed life after death. They all agreed that this life didn’t end here and then we cease to exist. Each ancient religion believed in some form of an afterlife. The ancient Egyptians would bury their Pharaohs with their worldly possessions so that they could enjoy them in the afterlife. They’d even bury them with golden tongues so that they could speak with the deities in the afterlife. The Greeks would bury their dead with gold coins so that they could pay the ferryman to give them safe passage to the other side. Each afterlife was rooted in works, and most believed in the ability to take what you’ve made on earth with you. Then came Christianity.
See, all of these ancient religions, including Judaism, were based on works, whereas Christianity blatantly says salvation cannot be obtained by works because mankind is too flawed to ever reach perfection.
In the song Elijah, Rich Mullins sings:
But the Jordan is waiting
Though I ain’t never seen the other side
Still they say you can’t take in the things you have here
So on the road to salvation
I stick out my thumb and He gives me a ride
And His music is already falling on my ears
True salvation can only be obtained through faith by grace. It is the grace of God coupled with our faith in Him that saves our soul from eternal damnation. So, on the road to salvation, we have nothing. We can’t buy our way in. We can’t bribe the doors when we get there. So what is there left to do but stick out our thumb and catch a ride from God?
We spend a lot of time building up treasures on this earth, which isn’t in itself a bad thing, but it should never be our main focus. Christ said seek the Kingdom of Heaven first and then all of those things will be added to you. As Christians, we should be storing up treasure in Heaven.
One day, this life will come to an end, and each one of us will have to stand before the throne of the living God. We will have to then give an account of our lives. We’ll be judged by our words and our actions. All things that we have built up in this life will be tested by fire. If our focus is just building up earthly treasure, it won’t pass the fire test but instead will be burned up. Why? Because this earth will not last forever. On that day, it will flee from the presence of God and will pass away, and with it, all of its treasures. But the Kingdom of God is an Everlasting kingdom and its treasures are eternal ones.
It’s easy to get caught up with the things of this world, but we must put our flesh in subjection to Christ. We must live to Christ and seek Him and His kingdom above all else, lest our treasures be burned up in the fire.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Consider The Afterlife.