Rotted and Moth-Eaten

2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire.  You have laid up treasure in the last days (James 5:2-3).

Do you know what a hearse is? A hearse is a special type of car that is used to carry a dead body that rests in a coffin. A hearse is usually used to transport a body from a funeral home to a place of burial, like a cemetery.

Now how odd would you think it would be to see a UHaul trailer being filled with all the dead person’s stuff being pulled by a hearse? Wouldn’t you think, “Why is that dead person have all their stuff with them? It’s not like they are going to use any of that stuff. They are dead!”

Right, that’s exactly the point. All the stuff that we enjoy today, like computers, games, cars, houses, guitars, books, and TVs won’t be going with us when we die. You can’t take it with you.

This is James’ point in our verses for today. He is saying that all the stuff that we place our hope in that we buy with our money will ultimately let us down. You can’t put your hope in all that stuff! We should seek first God’s kingdom and all the things that we need will be given to us. This is God’s promise to us. We don’t have to be greedy and always looking to build our own little kingdom of wealth, when God promises to give us all that we need when we look to him to provide.

God’s kingdom will never be “rotted” or “moth-eaten”. It is forever. That is where we should invest our time and money and concern.

Read Matthew 6:33

• How can you seek first God’s kingdom today instead of a kingdom of self?

• What things do you need to believe God for instead of trying to provide for yourself?

Prayer

Our Father, we repent of trusting in created things instead of you, the Creator. We want to love you more than we love things that pass away. Help us to find our greatest joy in your Kingdom and not try to build our own little kingdom in our world. We know that in you and you alone is a fountain of living water that is available to all those who thirst. We know that chasing idols will only leave us thirsting for more. Thank you for your faithful reminders of these truths in your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.