You Can’t Take It With You by David Jeremiah

You Can’t Take It With You But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luke 12:20-21 In 2010, Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett began recruiting fellow billionaires to commit to giving away at least half their wealth to philanthropic causes. Since its inception, around two hundred individuals and couples have taken The Giving Pledge with commitments of over $500 billion. This initiative is further evidence of the realization that “you can’t take it with you.”

Recommended Reading: Matthew 6:19-21

That is a biblical realization as well. Jesus’ parable about the rich man who built bigger barns to store his abundant crops drew a stern rebuke. Laying up treasures on earth instead of in heaven is a shortsighted venture, for we never know when our earthly life will end. Laying up spiritual treasures in heaven, Jesus further taught, is the surest way to be “rich” for all eternity. Where we store our treasures is an indication of where our heart’s priorities are: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Diligent saving is a wise habit (Proverbs 6:6-8), but not because it provides us security. Our temporal and eternal hope is in the Lord (Psalm 146:5). To forsake Christ for the world is to leave a treasure for a trifle.  William Jenkyn