About three miles from my house in the Atlanta area, there is a huge multi-million dollar mansion that was built several years ago. The person who had it built wanted the best of everything inside and out, and when it was finished, it was quite impressive by this world’s standards. However, a few years ago, the person lost most of their money and tried to sell the house which sat on the market for a long time but never sold. Now, the house sits there empty, the grass is knee high, and it looks like an abandoned dream.
Way too many people in this world have put all of their time and effort into creating their dream. Sometimes that dream is a house like this one. Other times, it may be a certain career level, or perhaps a status in life. But all too often we see those dreams that WE built come crashing down and there is nothing left but emptiness because that’s all they were built on in the first place.
Jesus talked about that in Matthew 7:24-27, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
EVERYTHING in this life, outside of JESUS CHRIST, is worthless in the view of eternity. Any money we accumulate, fame or recognition we achieve, or status in life we finally reach – will one day fall and be NOTHING. However, all that we do in the service of our Savior will last for all of eternity.
Again, Jesus cautioned us in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
When our dreams and our hearts and what we value most are wrapped up in the wisdom and possessions of this world, we’re WASTING our lives. However, when we realize and seek to truly FOLLOW HIM and do what HE wants with our lives, the treasure is priceless and the rewards are great.