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. Matthew 6:19-21

Do you consider yourself wealthy?  If you are anything like my wife Cynthia and me, your first thought has to do with material possessions such as bank accounts, 401 K’s, real estate, jewelry, stock holdings, cash in a can, or whatever else may sparkle in hand.  Our natural inclination stems from the extraordinary affluence of our society.  In a regrettable, yet insightful, way, we’ve learned from those around our country who lose “everything” in natural disasters that wealth is hardly measured in things owned.  May we explore the higher truth of what wealth truly represents.

When we observe the effects of human suffering and loss due to horrific storms, wild fires, pandemics, or other tragic events, we witness people longing to be united with missing relatives; we hear people proclaim with certainty their determination to rebuild; we’re inspired by the heroic efforts of some for the safety of others; we feel inadequate when families—who are totally wiped out of all their possessions—stand without complaining in quiet resolve to start again; we are touched by the people whose response to crisis is to rise up as problem solvers—not to fold in the face of the trying circumstances.  The well-being of our loved ones, our determination, our social courage, our sense of reality, and our problem-solving capacity are examples of inherent and priceless treasures stored within us that cannot be appraised or bought with money.

And what about the value of God’s love?  The Bible sums this up in two critical lines:  1) “God is love”, and 2) “Love never fails.”  It’s been said that God doesn’t love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because He loves us.  There are many in storm-torn areas throughout this Nation who have boldly declared that God was in their heart as their ultimate trusted treasure; wind, rain, destruction, family tragedy, money loss, despair, and fear, were all present….  But God!!!  What an amazing place to be—standing in hope and counting blessings of worthiness from God’s eternal perspective.

What does our portfolio really look like?  Is it material?  Is it abstract?  Is it spiritual?  The bottom line is this:  true wealth is calculated by those things that money cannot buy.  For us, all perspectives considered, my wife Cynthia and I count ourselves more than wealthy.  We have some material things, some close family relationships, some developed character traits, and most importantly a growing relationship with the One who created us, owns everything, and lives Spiritually within us.  That, friends, makes us rich beyond measure!

Once again, in the grandest and ever-lasting scheme of things, take a moment and answer the question: Do you consider yourself wealthy?

1 Tim 4:8; Phil 4:19; Matt 6:26-33; Prov 28:20; 1Tim 6:10; Prov 23:5