When Jesus was here on earth, He instructed His followers to “lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven” (Matthew 6:2020But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (Matthew 6:20)). He knew that was the only kind of treasure that will have lasting results. This story is about a woman who would have done well to follow those instructions.
Mrs. Snyder was a tireless worker. She worked hard to plant a big garden and tend it, and every summer and fall she would pick and preserve all the fruits and vegetables and store them all in her cold cellar. She did this year after year, rising early and working hard day after day. No doubt she enjoyed the success of her hard work and knew that she would have plenty of food no matter what happened. But while doing this she was also growing older, and eventually she died.
When Mrs. Snyder’s relatives came to clear her house of her belongings, they were astounded to find what she had in storage. They found that not only was the cold cellar completely filled with jars and bottles of fruits and vegetables, but she had also dug out another large area underground which was also filled with canned produce. Worst of all, none of it was usable! Because of its age and the danger of its being spoiled, these relatives had to haul to the dump about 8,000 pounds of once-fresh garden produce, all wasted. How sad that the life’s work of this hard-working woman was all a waste of time.
We too may be wasting our lives in different ways, and we would do well to think about the unwise focus of this woman. Yet not one of us can even begin to lay up treasure in heaven or please God until we accept the way of salvation He has provided in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. When some people asked the Lord Jesus what they could do to work the work of God, He answered, “This is the work of God, that ye BELIEVE on Him whom He hath sent” (John 6:2929Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (John 6:29)). That was the first step they had to take; all their works were useless until they had taken that first step. When you have taken that step, believing that Jesus is YOUR Saviour because He died for YOUR sins and making the decision to follow Him, then you will be ready to lay up treasure in heaven, and your life will neither be lost nor wasted.
ML-01/06/2002