“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4 NLT

A few months ago, my sisters and I were bored and began flipping through channels to find something entertaining to watch. We ended up watching this show called, “The Fabulous Life Of…” I think that night was about Beyoncé’s amazingly lavish lifestyle of multi-million dollar private jet rides, mansions, and leisure activities. If I remember correctly, she even rents a posh New York City penthouse just to house all of her memorabilia and awards. I can’t lie, for a moment, I felt a little jealous. “I would love to know what it’s like to have that life for just one day,” I thought to myself. I probably even said it out loud, but the more I think about it, the more I realized that one day, I will. However, unlike the Beyoncé’s of the world, I won’t have to worry about keeping up an image, or staying on top of my game to maintain it. I won’t have to worry about paying taxes on all that stuff, being exploited in the tabloids or even worrying about opportunists who only want to get close to me to get ahead. Everything I will have will be long-lasting and secure…and the best part is it will be paid for in FULL. 

The bible talks about us not being conformed to the things of this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). This requires a different perspective on what is truly valuable to a Christian. It’s so easy for us to get caught up in the luxurious lifestyles that we see displayed in countless reality shows and on social media. Don’t get me wrong; I do believe that if you work hard, you deserve to have the finer things in life, if you can afford it. What concerns me is when we get so consumed by it that we try to obtain it at all costs. Some of us end up in insurmountable debt, our kids don’t have a college fund and our million-dollar homes end up in foreclosure.  So badly, we want to impress others and to make ourselves feel better, but I think if we could be brutally honest with ourselves, nothing that can be bought in a store has the ability to completely satisfy anyone. And if more evidence of this fact is needed, I encourage you to do a quick Google search of celebrities who have committed suicide or succumbed to substance abuse in the last decade or so.  Someone once said that people should visit a junkyard one day and have a look around. In that junkyard, I am sure we will find the dreams of many people that are now collecting dust, rust and mold. Those things lying around as trash now used to be a “must-have” to someone. Some of those things probably caused major rifts in relationships, finances and opportunities…and now it’s junk. That’s what most material things end up amounting to. That’s why it’s so important for us to store up our treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20). As Christians, our focus should be on living a life that is pleasing to God…loving and helping people – using your time and money to assist someone less advantaged than you. Our real treasure has already been promised to us from the day we accepted Christ. And believe me, it’s truly fabulous.  The bible tells us that in heaven, there is wealth beyond anything we can ever imagine. No one will have to worry about the kind of neighborhood they live in, what job they have, where they went to school or what luxuries they will enjoy. There will be no more tears, no more disappointment, no more arguing, no more injustice…no more brutality forever. Our only focus will be on praising our God who has rescued us from the perils of this evil world through the shedding of His blood for our sins. I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of life I am striving for.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT

“But store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:20 NLT