"Treasure"

My grand-dad was a carpenter,

He worked his whole life through,

On people’s homes and businesses,

It’s what he loved to do.

My Dad, a cattle buyer,

Built fences, barns and more,

Life ended in a house he built,

Down from a country store.

The don’t have the homes they built,

‘Cause the treasures of this earth,

Can’t go to heaven with you,

No matter what they’re worth.

No u-haul pulls behind the hearse,

You can’t take stuff with you there,

There are no storage  units,

In our home up in the air.

And living here in Texas,

With a dream of home in view,

I still am reminded,

Of what I always knew,

This whole life’s investment,

Every hour and dollar spent,

If not about the people,

We’ll wonder where it went.

‘Cause people are the only thing,

That out-lives what we see,

And if we treat each other right,

And with generosity,

God says there is treasure,

Promised to His children there,

‘Cause they believed in Jesus,

And showed mercy, love and care.

We’re looking for that city,

Where the Lamb fills it with light,

And thankful for the treasure,

For those the Lord makes right.

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:18-19, NIV)

What we generously give becomes an investment in eternal treasure. If we could see this from a heavenly perspective it would change everything about the way we handle money and material things. It’s not money that’s bad, but the love of money. And the answer is unselfish, generous giving. May the Holy Spirit free us to give generously.

Lord, help us to lay up treasure in heaven, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.