Invest In Christ—The Only Treasure That Will Last!

Kalgoorlie's Wasteland

I took this photo a few k's ride out of Kalgoorlie. It's a visual spectacle reminiscent of T.S Eliot's The Wasteland—a piece of modernist literature published in 1922 that sought to unpack the impact of technology on mankind. A vast salt flat littered with the remnants of our modern lifestyle—burnt out corpses of what were once expensive new cars, and once represented dreams & success & progress. And right through the middle of this hopeless fiasco shines God's promise of life and sustenance in the form of a shimmering rainbow. 

But oh the allure of shiny new stuff and the power we give it over our lives! A young tradie just off his apprenticeship signs up for a 7-year loan with a flutter in his heart as the sun dances off the chrome bumper of his new ute, which ends up overturned and burnt out here some years later. Further along the salt flat lies the skeleton of what was once a trendy sedan with a low profile and stellar sound system—the remnants of a young woman's once-treasured dream of travel and independence and identity, now lying discarded and destroyed and debased in the brutal Goldfields' sun. 

On the other side of the road Kalgoorlie's gold mine, the Super Pit is slaving away in full swing, a great engineering feat of shiny machines, conveyer belts, trucks as big as my house, heaving and hauling and crushing 24/7 to feed the insatiable hunger of our lifestyles. 3.5km long & 1.5km wide, it was up until recently the largest open cut mine in the Southern Hemisphere. But the earth doesn't yield up its treasure easily, the effort is huge and the payoff relatively small—every day 40 dump trucks lug 240,000 tonnes of earth out of the pit only to extract the amount of gold the size of a golf ball (Pastors may appreciate this as a metaphor for preaching the Gospel, but that's for another discussion!).

And the earth doesn't really give it up, it just lends it to us, to reclaim it back at a later date. Metals are mined, shipped overseas, made into stuff, and then sold back to us at exorbitant prices, enslaving us for years to pay for them, only to end up rotting in the earth again. People work their lives both mining them and then paying for the stuff made from them. As Tyler Durden said, "What you own owns you...", which really is a shadow of what Jesus said, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

What do you really want?

We exchange years of our lives working for and paying off this stuff. And I'm not saying we don't need it—we do need some of it to function in our lives, but are we getting what we really want? You're not really seeking a car, you're seeking independence & freedom. You're not really buying expensive clothes; you're buying image, identity, and distinction. For me, I wasn't really buying a motorcycle; I was buying escape, adventure, & the camaraderie of riding with my mates. I wasn't really buying guitars; I was buying self expression, glory, and transcendence. 

The stuff we buy isn't bad in itself, in fact God gave us the bounty of the earth to enjoy. But this was in a different context—this was when we walked with him in the Garden of Eden and so had his presence first in our lives. Without that, these things become idols in our hearts—they become our pursuit, our identity, and our goal; providing only a limited satisfaction of the need we are trying to fulfil, while distracting us from the one true source of all satisfaction: God.

Put God first, enjoy stuff more
The irony here, is that if you put God first, these things become more enjoyable as well. C.S Lewis said, "aim at heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in'; aim at earth and you will get neither." When I gave my heart to Christ, I suddenly found an enjoyment in music that I hadn't previously thought possible, a thrill in cruising the highways that I didn't realise before, and an identity and joy unshakable. God enlarges your heart so that you can enjoy all things to their full extent.

But then even if you achieve the total escape, total adventure, and the total transcendence offered by these things, it's still only a shadow of the real thing. When you know what your heart really desires, you can save yourself the hassle of pursuing stuff and go straight to the source of all that is good. 

Cut out the middle man
You can cut out the middle man and get the escape, the adventure, and the transcendence without wasting your life pursuing stuff that only weighs you down. Don't waste your time, resources, and precious life savings on stuff that doesn't truly satisfy you. Don't pursue and settle for the thrill of things, without knowing the thrill of worship and the presence of the Holy Spirit first.

We find true joy when we worship God, not stuff. Stuff might scratch the itch for a little while but it doesn't provide a lasting satisfaction. The car gets you a sense of independence and freedom, the motorcycle buys you a little escape, and music can lift you slightly out of the haze of everyday life.  

Christ is the real adventure
But being with Jesus is a real adventure, because you never quite know where he is going to lead you next, and if you listen to his voice—well from my experience anyway—life becomes a crazy adventure. Jesus gives you true independence, because you become empowered to be the person you were created to be, and with Jesus there is total transcendence; you have access to the Spirit of God 24/7, a direct line; and by investing in this relationship, you are building kudos that will follow you into eternity.

Spiritual treasures are the only kind we can take with us after we die. We are to enjoy the earth's bounty but hold it loosely, not letting it become the centre of our lives, being ready to drop it at a moment's notice if we are called to do so. Our time here on earth is but a breath in the hurricane of eternity, and I don't know about you, but I'm done wasting it on stuff that doesn't matter.

 For dust you are and to dust you will return
When Jesus returns to establish the new heavens and the new earth, all of your stuff will be discarded like useless broken toys. All the stuff you worked so hard for. You may look back then and realise what a waste of time it all was. How weary you became in the pursuit of the wrong things, how little room you left for God in your life, and how unprepared you are for heaven. 

When faced with a big purchase, we are often told by well-meaning friends, "life is short go for it," But the truth is, life is eternal, and the choices we make in this short life impact our eternity. So ask yourself whether what you're spending your time and money is really helping you, really satisfying you, and really worth the time and effort. Or is it distracting you from what's most important, from the only really crucial thing in this life: to have Christ first and foremost on your heart; to have a saving faith in him, and to grow in relationship with him?

Our possessions can't save us, satisfy us, or follow us into eternity. Only faith in Christ does these things. That's why Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." When you invest in Christ it builds you up, enlarges you, and it releases you rather than enslaves you. And when the kingdom finally does come, it will become the foundation of your existence while all else falls away. 

Make a change today!

So take a step today to invest in the kingdom of God. Amidst the Christmas rush when we are all so focussed on buying stuff, bring something of eternal value into your day. Start a bible reading plan; set up a prayer wall; put a play list of worship music together to listen to as you exercise, water the garden or clean the house. Buy some Christian books that will build you up and encourage you. Do something to volunteer at your church. Join a home group. Visit someone who builds you up in your walk with Christ. And finally, get rid of some of that stuff lying around your house and that ties you to this life and distracts you from the real wealth of eternity. 

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Ecclesiastes 5:15 "Everyone comes naked from their mother's womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands."

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Genesis 3:19 "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

#pursuegod #treasuresinheaven #matt619 #Ecc515 #Matt1128 #superpit #eternalwealth 

Child-Like Faith: Discovering God in the Impossible

I recently had the pleasure of taking my children out on a four-wheeler (that is, if you find hair-raising fright pleasurable). They sat in the driver's seat, tiny hands on the steering and little thumbs on the throttle, with me on the back holding on for dear life, lunging now and then to correct the steering or the speed. I could've taken them for a ride on the back, but children love doing with you what is impossible without you. There's something about a parent bridging the gap between the possible and the impossible that delights them. It gives them confidence, trust, and encourages them to stretch and try new things. These corollaries are far more important than the activity itself.

God leads us to do things that are impossible without him for much the same reason that we do it for our own children—to grow and encourage us—but there's also something more going on here. A higher purpose. It's not really about teaching your children to ride a motorcycle, a bike, or how to build a Taj-Mahal sand-castle (although all of these things are fun)! Their need is never for new toys or new adventures—it's for doing things with you, spending time with you, and growing their relationship with you. They won't remember everything you did with them as they grow up, but they'll remember the way you made them feel. They're built to be that way towards their parents, and so are you towards your Heavenly Father.

Why doesn't God click his fingers and instantly do those things which he has entrusted to us to do in our lives? Why does he watch us fickle humans fumble around with the steering and the throttle, going too fast, too slow, or steering into danger; getting distracted and off-track, misled, and frustrated by our limitations? Because it's not the thing itself that's important, it's the doing it with Him that counts. God guides you into the impossible so that you will rely on Him, and in doing so be far more capable than you ever would be alone. The enormity of the task is not to discourage you but to lead you to Him and to unlock His strength and power in your life. His greatest gift is to give you Himself. You were created to thrive on His presence.

It doesn't even matter whether you succeed in the thing or not—the point is to grow with God. Each time you do something with God that cannot be done alone, He deposits something invaluable into your heart—a tendency to pursue Him and to rely on His strength and power and guidance. Once you can do it on little things, He will progress you to bigger things, where you need Him even more. If we pursue God, stretch ourselves, do in faith what seems impossible without it, we will grow in faith, hope and love. The three aspects of the faith that the Apostle Paul said were most important. On the other hand, if we are lacking in these, maybe we aren't pursuing God enough, or stepping out enough in faith for Him to reveal Himself in the gaps.

What can we learn from the way children jump on the bike and have a go, trusting us to guide them if they get in trouble, trusting us enough to enjoy the thrill of doing something outside their own ability? Just have a go. Stop overthinking it. What has God called you to do that seems too big for you? It may be a dream He has placed on your heart, or it may be something daunting you need to do like reconciling with someone, or it may be simply managing the stress of an overloaded life. Do it with God. We were not made to do any of it by ourselves. We are made to be in relationship with Him.

We don't serve a small God, we serve a huge God, an unlimited God, an infinite God, who is only limited by the restraints our faith places on Him. He calls us to embrace dreams, to step out in faith, and to delight in Him as He bridges the gap between the possible and the impossible. He calls us to trust him in the small things, so that he can lead us into the big ones.

Maybe you've tried without God and failed. Maybe you've fallen off the bike. Maybe you've stretched too far by yourself. Maybe you've focused more on the task itself and forgotten that the point is to lead us to Him. It's time to get back on that beaten track that is your life, but this time with Him on the back, guiding you, leading you, empowering you, and allowing Him, now and then, to lunge forward and put on the brakes, or to redirect your steering or your speed if you get off track. It's time to trust Him again, to take a risk for God. It's time to embrace child-like faith.

All else aside, just have a go, you might just enjoy it.

#getbackonthebike #trustGod #psalm121:3 #childlikefaith

Cornering in Christ—Traversing the Twists & Turns

Riding a motorcycle you are taught to keep your eyes up on the road ahead, not directly in front at your wheel. You play a long game, not a short one. Approaching a corner you look through it to the straight road on the other side. If you try and navigate the turn inch by inch you over-compensate and wobble and falter. 

When Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water to follow Jesus, he started with a miracle and then began to sink. Why? Because he took his eyes of Jesus. He took his eyes off the where and began to overanalyse the how. Jesus rebuked him for having little faith, for not trusting enough. Once you trust Him with the first step, you've gotta trust Him even more with the next.

There's a whole other level of trust with cornering besides taking your eyes off the road at your wheel—you have to lean into it. The sharper the corner, the sharper the lean. It feels counter-intuitive at first, but the more you do it the more natural it feels. Jesus says to lean on Him, even when it doesn't make sense. You can tell those who corner well in their lives, they lean right into Jesus and keep their eyes on the road ahead. When we lean on Jesus, He guides the ride. 

Still, things are bound to not always go the way you want. Riding through darkness can't be avoided. So what do you keep your eyes on then? Don't worry, He's still got you. When you ride at night, you deflect your eyes from oncoming traffic and focus solely on the unbroken white line at the edge of the road. It doesn't matter how dark the night is, or how bright the lights of oncoming traffic are, if you watch that line, it will guide you. In fact the darker the night, and the brighter the lights, the more that line will shine. Like Jesus, it remains steadfast: unbroken, straight and true. If you take your eyes off it for a second, if you look at the broken line in the middle of the road, or into the glaring eyes of the oncoming beast, you're headed for destruction. So it is with Jesus. When all is dark, He remains bright. The blacker the night, the brighter His light; and his light doesn't blind you, it binds you. 

If you get an eye-full of Jesus' light, it floods your whole body. It seeps into your cracks and broken places and binds them up. It searches out the dark places and floods them out too. It changes you. You can tell when people are flooded because it flows out their mouth. They can’t help but speak of His goodness and His grace and His love. They have a joy that can't be shaken. On the road they could be struck by a sudden squall, plunged into palpable darkness, smashed with stones from a passing freighter, pounded with potholes as big as pandas, but they just keep on cruising. 

But hey, let's be real. There's still gonna be potholes on the road. You’re on the same road as everyone else, but you've got something they don't: supernatural tyres that metamorphose to adapt to road conditions. Yep, really. Very truly I say to you. Big pothole coming up? No problem, Jesus will replace your 90/90 for a nice fat 150/80. Tar snakes glistening in the rain slippery as a politician's smile? Jesus will change your slicks for some chunky treads. He knows every inch of the road ahead, and will equip you with what you need when you need it, so that you can live the life He created you for. You just need to trust that He knows what's coming up and how to get you through it.

So, whatever is looming ahead, however dark the clouds are roiling on the horizon, however blinding the lights of oncoming traffic, keep your eyes firmly fixed, lean into Christ, and He will pull you through the corner, guide you through the darkness, and keep you safely on the road, rubber side down.

Matthew 6:22; 11:28-30; Psalm 18:32 Proverbs 3:5; Ephesians 2:10;