The other day the charging cable for my iPod broke. Again. That’s the second one I’ve had to replace since I bought my little smart device.  Maybe this time I’ll try the cheap cable instead of the name brand one. If they’re going to break anyway, I could at least save a few bucks.

But after my frustration about that broken and frayed cable subsided, it got me thinking.  Technology keeps advancing, and it some ways that new stuff isn’t necessarily better stuff.  My dad still has a record player and 8 track from when he was a teen in his basement, and last I checked they still worked. Meanwhile, the newest phone will be at best obsolete, and at worst nigh unusable in 5 years.  That works great for our materialistic urges. Now we don’t only want the newest thing, we need it. Because the old new one broke yesterday.

It’s interesting then that Jesus already knew all of this when He told us,  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19).  Jesus knew, even 2000 years ago that we love our temporary treasures. We can’t resist the call of more things. And yet, those things don’t last, and they won’t bring us happiness. They may for a moment, but not the true joy that we’re constantly searching for. 

Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t just tell us to give up stuff and leave it at that. He gets to the heart of the issue. Continuing in Matthew 6 he says, “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (vs. 20-21) Where is your heart today? And if it’s not focused on Jesus, what do you need to do to get it there? Because once we leave those temporary treasures behind and search for the true treasure of Jesus, we’ll find it. He’s guaranteed us that.