It appears that accumulation is a major issue—something we are probably all guilty of in one way or another. I must admit that I use to be the type of person to accumulate junk and unnecessary possessions. But thank God for change. Amen. 😊 As a practical aside it is worth the energy to declutter regularly. If you didn’t use something in the last year or two, it is unlikely you will use it in the next few years. It is time to give it away, recycle it, or trash it my friend.
Money/goods (treasure) corrupt, fade, and lose value, so why needlessly accumulate? And people steal—whether physically or digitally, regardless of the best methods of protection. You can’t guarantee your goods, but God guarantees what is given/stored in heaven.
What’s the point? Because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” In other words, your affections follow your goods. The more goods you have the more you are distracted/worried—security, alarms, cameras, and back-to-base systems.
If your treasure is in, or is, your car, then your car is where your heart is. And that’s a problem—lose your car, and you’ll lose heart. I doubt this means we aren’t to treasure our vehicle, but if it is our sole/undivided focus, we are in danger of making an idol out of the perishable.
When we love, value, or pursue anything or anyone more than God, it becomes an idol.
Nothing should take the place of God in our lives; it is the 1st commandment in the Old Testament but also the greatest commandment according to Jesus in the New Testament.
Exercise:
· Search you heart and see if you have made an idol out things in your life.
· Pick a weekend and go through your closet, donate those clothes and shoes you may no longer fit in anymore in hopes that one day you will fit them again.
· Go through anything that you tend to store up and accumulate and donate those items to someone in need.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for your revelation on idols and the many different ways I can make things an idol in my life. Forgive me God for my sins, create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit in me. Holy Spirt please remind me every time when I start to make things an idol to stop and evaluate the situation. May I always have a heart of giving to be able to give to those who are less fortunate than I am. Lord, I don’t want to love or place high value in anything over you. You are 1st in my life King Jesus. Amen.
Definition: the acquisition or gradual gathering of something.
Scripture Reference
Matthew 6:19-21 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
Ezekiel 14:3 “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?