Lay Not Up For Yourselves Treasures Upon Earth

‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where neither moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.' -Matt.6:21

Remember when you were in primary school and your teacher would do the 'Simile exercise' with you? For example, as bold as a lion, as cool as cucumber, as hot as the sun?

Well, life as we know it now is as frantic and fast-paced as the traffic on the streets of New York. Everyone is going somewhere in a hurry, rushing through each activity, accomplishment or phase of life like they're acting on the set of Fast and Furious 7.

And everywhere we look there's so much pressure...pressure to perform, pressure to amass wealth, pressure to belong, pressure to be seen, noticed, respected...and it's so sad. It's sad because with all this pressure, even the most sincere and well-meaning Christian can easily get carried away.

An analogy came to my mind as I thought about this. We have one major goal right? Which is to make heaven. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

So let's say a girl called Banke decides to go shopping at the market. The market opens at 9am and closes at 6pm. Now, Banke has to be out of the market by 6pm latest or else she'll be locked in there permanently. So she goes into the market. And she's got so much money on her. There's lots to buy, everything is so colourful and attractive. She's like, 'Mehn! Money aint a thang!!!'. So she quickly forgets the heavy wristwatch on her hand which is meant to keep her focused. And she shops, and shops, and shops. And the more she buys, the more she sees to buy. She's already gotten carried away. So she forgets that she is shopping because she wants to use the things at home, and she can only get home if she leaves the market.

That's how Banke shopped till it was past 6pm. On getting to the gates, she was told it was too late to leave she was stuck there forever. There was no exit. Also, she could use everything she bought AT the market, IN the market (like seriously, who does that? We shop inside to show off outside, right?) End of analogy.

That's the same way it is for us. Ever heard the saying, 'aye l'oja, orun n'ile'? Life is the market, and heaven is your home. Whatever you do or buy in the market is meant to be used when you get home. Why get so carried away at the market that you won't be able to find your way back home? Why buy so many things in the market that you cannot use back home? Isn't that what we call waste? Do we really want to waste our lives?

Guys it's not easy. I know. But Jesus came down in human form to prove to us that though life isn't easy, everything we need to do is 'doable'.

What is our focus? In everything we do, what do we visualize as the main objective or the end result? Is it temporary satisfaction, living for the 'now' or is it eternal fulfillment, living for the 'future'?

I shall conclude with the words of Apostle Paul from Phil.3:13-14.
'Brethren I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.'

May God help us all, Amen.

By Busola.