Beyond moths, corrosion, and thieves: Treasure deceives.

Question: John Paul Getty was once the richest man in the world. How much money did he leave when he died? Answer: All of it!

Dear Readers,

Everyone has treasures. It is an essential part of what it is to be human. To be human is to have treasures. They are our special considerations, to have them pried into is an intrusion; to have them taken away is degrading. They are connected to our spirit and our will, and a main part of intimacy with another person is the sharing of treasures and the creation of mutual treasures.

No one is without their treasures. I'm finding many of mine now, as we pack to move. Some of them are treasures, such as the china and silver we have, which may really be treasures. Other things, the girls' artwork ( and their messes) or Jennifer's "sanctuary" near the computer (and her messes ) would be worthless to others. So these are not so much my treasures, as they are my treasurings. They are not just physical goods, they are my dreams and memories, and the fundamental parts of my soul. They relate precisely how I live in the world right now, but they also impact the extent toward which I can live focused on the eternal realm.

Jesus tells (present tense) us that is is not a smart treasuring strategy to treasure the things on this earth. This could be very depressing, if there were no alternative. We invest in our jobs, our houses, our friends and family. We also care for the rich, beautiful world itself, of which all these things are a part. Some of these things, surely, are a portion of what God also treasures. Yet all of these things, everything and everyone I value, will one day pass away. I cannot but serve my treasures, so what will I do when they have all gone? Cannot I somehow, deter thieves, protect against rust, hang up a bug-zapper for the moths? Must it all be vanity?

The extent of my investment knowledge should impress you: I know that when stocks are high they will be more expensive, and when stocks are low they will be less expensive. Jesus' investment strategy is for me to "lay up for yourself treasures in heaven...", and he tells me "where your treasure is there your heart will be also."

Perhaps we can treasure this world and the invisible, eternal world as well. Perhaps we can serve both. Perhaps my heart can be in two places. Perhaps there will come a time when Scotty can beam me up. Scientists are already telling us electrons can inhabit two positions at one time. Perhaps we can make our heart be in two places, for a while. But there will come a time when one of our treasures must be subordinate to the other. Can I serve God and things of the earth? Their requirements conflict so easily and often.

It is vanity to seek after perishing riches and to trust in them. It is vanity to hunt after honors and to climb to high degrees. It is vanity to mind only this present life, and yet be careless to live it well. It is vanity to set your love upon those things which so speedily pass away.

If Jesus tells me I cannot serve both God and mammon, and the first of the commandments says, "You shall have no gods who take priority over me?", then why am I packing all these boxes?

Your movable, flexible, ever-tolerant, Apatheist, ~Bill

P.S. This post seems as disjointed as my piles of boxes. As always, my efforts may simply be so much striving with the wind

It's still vanity.

Dear Readers,

The hunger for titles and public awards in our human lives--indeed, even in our religious lives--is simply astonishing. The bragging and exhibitionism that goes on around the water cooler or the golf course, the almost routine puffing-up of resumes, and much of what passes for normal in our culture of self-esteem, are a part of life with no sense of our standing in the presence of God.

The desire to have religious respect or reputation, and the approval of others will put us out of the sway of God's will back into the barren desert of the rightness of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus revealed much of most of the religious observance of his day was a sham. In particular, he used the term "hypocrites". Interestingly, Jesus seems to be the first one to have brought this term into the moral vocabulary of the world. Originally it had meant (in Greek) anyone who acted on stage. The Greek actors routinely wore gaudy masks to conceal their true identity, and an actor might change masks one or more times within a play. Jesus utilized this vivid image that would have immediately grabbed the attention of his hearers because of their familiarity with stage characters. They recognized the acts of the scribes and Pharisees who "do everything they do with the aim of being noticed by others. They enlarge the religious symbols on their clothing. They like to have the most prominent seats at dinners, and they relish being called "Professor" or "Doctor".(Matt.23:5-7). Jesus made repeated distinctions between our face to the world and our person before God.

The public forms of our Christian devotions are often all too similar to the kind that Jesus pushes aside. But if you have to bet on the sermon subject for next week, don't bet on this one. But the refreshing thing is knowing that we are not in bondage to external forms, or to their absence. Forms could be wrong and the heart right, or the form right and the heart wrong.

There is nothing inherently wrong with being known, as a scholar or excellent character. The issue here is one of intents and purposes. Why have we done that good deed? If to be seen by men, God will gladly stand aside and grant our wish. He knows where He is wanted and where He is not, and He doesn't like to be present when He is not. He will eventually have His "day of the Lord", though.

Part of being truly humble requires adhering to the principle of "the Audience of One". We are on stage, the performing hall is empty with the exception of One. But He fills the room, and His applause or displeasure determines the success of our show.

And another thing. Life becomes much simpler, when we no longer live for the desires and approval of others.

Your Resident Apatheist,

~Bill Longworth, Esq.

Chairman, local chapter of Apatheist's
Club President, KY Chapter of Bill-lovers
Supreme High Commander
Chief Cook and Bottle-washer

Ain't rampant credentialism lovely?

"For you have only one teacher, and all of you are students." Matt. 23:8.