Moth and Rust

Yesterday I visited an older gentleman who admitted he has trouble throwing things away. He is a collector who specializes in train and railroad items. He has a whole building to store his collection. At one point he owned three actual railroad cars. I brought him a few little things from a thrift store to add to his treasure trove. He did not turn them down. He knows the Lord and states that it’s a good thing we “can’t take it with us” because he would have to have a very big U-Haul.

As a young guy I collected baseball cards. Some of them are probably of decent value but I would never get rid of them, of course, because collectors usually don’t. For some reason I also collected match books. Back then it wasn’t uncommon for restaurants, hotels, and other businesses to make matchbooks readily available. No one in my family was a smoker but that didn’t stop me from picking up match books from various places around the country. For many years now I have casually collected Peanuts gang items. Charlie Brown and Snoopy can be found in my living room, kitchen, bedroom, basement, bathroom, and garage.

I know others who collect Peanuts items as well. There are also people I know who love to acquire anything related to Coke, Chevy, teddy bears, Model Ts, guns, Pittsburgh sports items, salt and pepper shakers, dolls, coins, and just about anything else you can think of. There can be different reasons for being a collector. For many, it is an issue of nostalgia. We collect things because they take us back to something we enjoy and to simpler times. The history of the items can be an appeal. For others, they collect because they see it as an investment. Some people just like to be able to look over the things they have accumulated. I have talked to Christians who collect, and they recognize that there is a downside to being a collector and that eventually we will pass away and someone else will have to either enjoy the collection or pass it on somehow. Sometimes people who collect must wrestle with how much money they are investing in building their collection or storing it. Those with truly valuable collections must be concerned about theft and sometimes must be secretive for fear of someone taking their things.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying collecting things. But like other aspects of life, there must be a balance. A person should be a good steward of their finances and any collection that impacts generosity or makes a sacrifice with necessities is a problem. Some people can be so concerned with their accumulating items that they don’t see the needs around them or find time to focus on other more important things.

As far as we know, Jesus did not collect anything during his time on earth. If he had no place to lay his head, he certainly had no place to store extra stuff. While his teaching did not include addressing the issue of collections, it comes pretty close. Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be (Matthew 6:20-21). In his famous address in Matthew 6, Jesus covers a lot of things including prayer and generosity. And his words here on material possessions are quite strong.

Jesus does not suggest we avoid storing up treasures here on earth. He tells us not to. He recognized that there are two ways that things can be destroyed. It can be from an outside source such as a moth which destroys clothing and materials. And metal is destroyed chemically by rust. Then there are thieves that would come in and steal valuables. By contrast, Jesus states that our treasures should be built up and stored in heaven. There is no need for mothballs or Rust-Oleum in heaven. What is stored there stays there without fear of damage or loss.

We store up treasures in heaven by loving people, being generous and sacrificing as opposed to accumulating. We should treasure the things of a spiritual nature and value what God values. None of that can be found at the antique store, a yard sale, or on Amazon. You cannot serve God and money (24). It is much wiser to invest in people than products. Because we live on this earth it is easy to focus our attention on the things of earth and struggle to think of heaven. It’s something we know is real and yet it seems perhaps so far away. No wonder Paul had to remind us of the right perspective. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2).

I do not plan to unload my collections, but I think it is time to stop adding to them in earnest. I want to be one who is more concerned with treasures in heaven and living biblically. All that I have comes from God. Not only does he own the cattle on a thousand hills, but he also owns my collections. As I offer my body as a living sacrifice, I realize that the Lord owns me. Things that moth and rust cannot impact should be my focus. I close with these wise words from Chuck Swindoll. What are you doing with the rest of your life? I’m talking about cultivating relationships, building memories that will help lift the load of future trials, and deliberately pursuing activities that will yield eternal dividends.