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!).
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?
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
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