Most of us have rented an apartment or home at some point in our lives. Generally most rentals are out of style and eventually clean, but a person would never put any of their own money in fixing up the place. Its just to get you by till you can afford your own place.
What if I were to tell you about a man that had a monthly lease on a home, but put a lot of his money into fixing it up? He’s nuts right? It gets crazier. This fellow spent 65 years in this month to month rental. Here’s more crazy, he spent all the money he made and all his time fixing this rental place into quite a spectacle. It really became an obsession with him, consuming most of his time, while he neglected his family. Mind you, it was very nice and his dysfunctional family did enjoy the luxury, but the man couldn’t enjoy it because his obsession was insatiable. He’d no more get done with one room and the next room consumed him. It never ended. At least till the day that his landlord kicked him out. Now all those things that he put all his passion in were gone and his family despised him. Not only did he waste his life but he left his family in a horrible position. Nothing he did even mattered.
Pretty sad and pathetic story, isn’t it? If you want to learn more about this person, go grab a mirror. Yes, ladies too. We are all that foolish man! If you are a Christian, this is not your home. You don’t own this or anything in it. You didn’t make it and it can be taken away in an instant. Actually, it will be taken away in an instant. Atheist’s too, you aren’t taking anything with you either.
You have to ask yourself a few important questions. First, what are you devoting your life to? Are you devoting your life to acquiring a bunch of stuff that wont last? Do you have to work 80 hours a week to keep up the payments on all your crap? Most of your stuff will likely go to auction and sold to greedy little people for pennies on the dollar. Your treasures will be sold off to other “renters” who likely have the same useless covetous passion as you. No one cares. Imagine asking someone from 300yrs ago how hard they worked for “stuff” and where it is now. Excepting a few trinkets in a museum, all their stuff is gone, all laid to waste.
Lets change the question a bit. How could you make a positive difference in peoples lives, if you devoted all your time, energy and resources into helping the people? Not like a government program, but really getting together with some folks and lift them up. If we truly believe that Jesus loves everyone, why aren’t we passionate about loving them too? If you’re too chicken to talk about Jesus, but aren’t afraid to go to the bank and humble yourself for another loan, brother, your priorities are out of line! You won’t impress Jesus with your Escalade, but standing up for the weak and lost IS impressive. Jesus told us to do that. Live humble and share the kindness that Jesus shared with us. Refocus your vision on what you can do to help folks out and share with them how Jesus saved you. Take your focus off the sales ad and put it on a hurting brother or sister.
Friends, look around you right now. Everything that you see, does not belong to you. All you did was trade a piece of your life to hold on to it for a little while. This is not my home. Repeat it out loud, this is not my home. Say it often. Make financial decisions only after saying that. Say it when you are at the store. Say it when you meet troubled folks. Say it when you are the troubled folks. This is where my brothers and sisters are right now, but we won’t be here long. Trouble won’t last. Jesus showed me the way and this is not our home.
I’m really looking forward to meeting my loved ones who have passed before me, and loved ones I’ve never even met. I’m looking forward to meeting you and bringing some lost friends home with me as well. Pray hard friends and I’ll see you back home.
humbleshoeshineboy 