Each week, let’s reflect upon Sunday’s teaching through further exploration…
What do you value?
“Leaving a Legacy” (guest speaker Matt Churchill)
“You don’t have a will? Oh, that’s not good! I can give you the name and number of a good lawyer. You need to take care of that right away!”
That was the response I received years ago when a loved one learned Andy and I had not yet prepared a last will and testament.
Don’t worry – we have one now, but it was months in the making. There were lots of decisions to make, lots of details to consider. “If we both pass away, who raises the kids? Who gets the house? How do we divide up a very small amount of farm ground between seven children?” Those were just some of the areas we had to discuss, weigh, and discuss again before we could finalize our will.
I was glad when that task was over, and I admit it’s nice knowing those things are in writing so the kids aren’t left in limbo when we’re gone.
But Matt Churchill’s message on Sunday got me thinking. (Matt is the Director of LaMoine Christian Service Camp, and his message Sunday was about leaving a legacy.)
Why don’t we get as worked up and adamant about knowing Jesus as we do about preparing a will? Why do we tend to be much more concerned about earthly provisions for our loved ones than their eternal state?
Matt asked us on Sunday, “What do you value?” He talked about examining how we spend our time and resources to help answer that question. In looking at America as a whole, I’d say we value security. Just look at how much we spend each year on insurance! I did some quick research this morning to discover on average in our country we pay $2,500/year to insure one vehicle, more than $8,000/year per person to pay for health insurance premiums, and another $2,000/year for home insurance. Just like a will, we want to be prepared for when something happens to our earthly possessions and bodies.
Isn’t it interesting (and sad) how much we seem to value security, yet how little we tend to focus on the one source that brings security for all time?
Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Seven chapters later, we read Jesus saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (13:44).
What do our daily lives reflect as our treasure? What does the way we spend our time, energy, money, and resources reveal about our hearts? And here’s another sobering question – how does that impact the people around us?
We have opportunity today and each day God gives us to reveal it’s in Jesus we place our trust; He is our eternal security. What He offers – salvation – is a free gift, but as Matt reminded us, following Him costs us everything.