Meditation

Read Philippians 3:1-14

Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.

—Matthew 6:20 (NRSV)

When our children were young, their curious minds often attracted them to things they should not be touching. My natural response tended toward what I called a “King Kong” approach: ripping the item out of their fingers or mouth and giving them a fearsome look so they would be afraid to pick up that item in the future.

My wife usually had a much different approach. She offered our children something safer and more attractive to play with. They chose to let go of the first item and take the new one.

Jesus uses much the same approach with us. It is easy to center our lives on our own wants and desires. But Jesus offers us the riches of his kingdom and life eternal if we will only release our tight grip on the things we’ve collected. Jesus gives us the gift of faith to help us so that we can realize that his kingdom is far more real and infinitely more valuable than anything else we could desire in life.

Prayer—Dear Lord, open our eyes to see the riches you have for us. Amen.

Thought for the day—How can I follow my faith instead of my worldly desires?

Charles Huff (Illinois)