Having material possessions can certainly make life more comfortable but in the eternal scheme of things just how valuable are they? I like how D. A. Carson put it: “A billion years or so into eternity, how many toys we accumulated during this life will not seem too terribly important.”1 Scripture goes one step further telling us: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
My friends I believe that missionary David Brainerd must have had (Mark 8:36) on his mind when he uttered: “I care not where I go, or how I live, or what I endure so that I may save souls. When I sleep, I dream of them; when I awake, they are first in my thoughts.”2 While material possessions are here today and gone tomorrow a human soul has an eternal existence. And while we can’t take material possessions with us, we can have a profound impact on the eternal destiny of souls by sharing the gospel, prayer, and manifesting a godly lifestyle to the world around us.
Sadly, we can get so caught up in the pleasures of material goods that we can make comfort our God at the expense of sacrificing our time, talents, and treasury for kingdom purposes. God is not against us owning things, but He is against things owning us. While being comfortable is nice being made uncomfortable for the sake of the gospel is what we as Christians should strive for. And while no one likes to suffer persecution, sacrificing comfort for persecution is often what God will call us to do. And while owning things may bring one pleasure, they can’t bring you real joy, which is a by-product of often sacrificing ourselves and leaving our “comfort zones” for the sake of the gospel.
My prayer is that we all take a fresh look at eternity and change our priorities from accumulating goods to working to advance God’s kingdom, spending more time in prayer, sharing the gospel, and delighting in the great privilege of glorifying God in everything we do. And after all, when we die, we won’t be able to take our creature comforts with us, but we will be able to accumulate great riches and rewards in heaven!
1 A billion years or so into eternity, how many toys we accumulated duri… Quote by D. A. Carson – QuotesLyfe