You can't take it with you

We have all heard the expression: “You can’t take it with you.” We know it’s true. Deep down we know that all of our earthly possessions and all of our money, no matter how much or how little we have, will no longer matter to us when our earthly lives are over. So the question is this: if we can’t take it with us, what is the best way to make use of our earthly blessings?

In his encouragement to Timothy, Paul is not shy about giving direction because God has made his will clear to us. Paul’s inspired words to Timothy are a great reminder for all of us who are so richly blessed, and verse 18 provides us with a four-pronged approach for using all of our physical blessings. “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”

First, “do good.” It sounds simple, but consider the amount of money we spend on entertainment. How often do we stop and ask ourselves, “Is this good for me? Is this good for anyone?” If we are focused on using our wealth for good, we may choose to spend it differently, whether it is a matter of what we buy/don’t buy, what cable channels we are willing to pay for, or what kinds of musical artists our dollars are supporting.

Second, “be rich in good deeds.” When we consider how people view us, are we more concerned with what we have or what we do? Do we want to impress other people or live a God-pleasing life full of works of thanksgiving for our salvation in Jesus Christ?

The third and fourth commands might be combined: “be generous and willing to share.” It’s not just about making donations or giving handouts. Generosity and a willingness to share are attitudes in the heart. God’s Word encourages us to appreciate the new, eternal, spiritual life we have been given in Christ, to understand that Jesus is our greatest treasure, and to respond to the gospel with a generous heart that is fed and fueled by forgiveness.

We are all naturally selfish. We all naturally want to have more and give less. But when we live in response to God’s grace, we appreciate all the more the joy of giving. And the eternal relationships we can build and have with one another are so much more precious, so much more valuable than anything temporary that we can buy in this world.

You see, we can’t take it with us. But when we go to heaven, by God’s grace and the working of the Holy Spirit, we can take people with us!