by Richelle Hecker

Treasuring and living for Christ

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

It can be fun to ponder the past. I enjoy hearing music from my childhood and teen years, looking through pictures from years ago, and touring older homes. When we lived in Europe it was fun to tour palaces, castles, and churches and hear about their amazing histories. There is so much to learn from all that’s been preserved.

There is a store in Calhan, Colorado, devoted to selling nostalgia. Cadillac Jack’s Trading Post carries toys, jewelry, dishes, signs, furniture, and pretty much anything else you might think of that reminds you of the past. Walking through their store emits memories of my grandparents and their collections beside items reflecting my own past.

I took this picture through a window looking out into a locked up courtyard. The shop’s owner told me that this was at one time a movie set. I was reminded of childhood road trips. There’s so much history reflected everywhere you look.

Yet these things of the past are destined to fade from people’s memories. Childhood reminders people used to purchase lose worth as generations that cherished them pass away.

“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.”
Matthew 6: 19-21 New International Version 

It is not wrong to examine and collect things from the past. It is a matter of the heart, and of what we truly treasure. This passage comes immediately after Jesus speaks about us doing things for God’s approval rather than for the approval of man. When we look to others for approval either they will end up failing us, or we will end up failing them. However, God never fails us, and He redeems our failures through the blood of Jesus. Continue to seek Him as your ultimate treasure and desire His favor alone.

It is enough.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado