People or Possessions... What Is More Important To You?

People or Possessions ~ What is more important to you? This is a theme that seems to be running through my life right now. Not only is God working on me in the daylight hours, but now his message waltzes smack dab into the center of the whimsical slumber time dreams that hold me captive nightly.

Last night, I was entertained by discovering lots of antique coins scattered on the ground , that led to a hotel room where my grandmother's beautiful beaded treasures had been left when my father took ill.

Gone were my dad and my grandmother, to a place of far greater treasure. But the treasures my father had been transporting that had once been his mothers had been locked away in a hotel room, where any thief could have stolen them or any maid could have tossed them. In this dream, I discovered them as though they had been waiting for me all along.

On awakening, I inquired of God, "Lord, what is the meaning and significance of such a dream as this? Is it that no matter how much we cherish something materialistic, we can never take it with us from this life to the next? Why is it we clutch so tightly to things that can be replaced often a million times over and then the real treasures that are one in a zillion (people and our unique relationships) are often treated as though they are worth little and can easily be replaced?"

I have come to realize the bottom line reality is that to a large part we are a people who care more for our stuff than we do for other human beings. It is not true, that the one who ends up with the most toys at the end, is the winner. That is a lie that comes from the deceptive mouth of Satan.

While it is a privilege to have nice possessions, to own a beautiful home, and to live a life of economic security... it is far more important to God how we use the gifts He channels through us.

Those possessions, gifts, and finances are a test of our true hearts. Do we share and give freely? Or do we clutch on saying, "it's all mine, it's all mine!"

The bottom line is we can not take it with us when we go. God doesn't want it! God wants us, for each and everyone of us are priceless works of art that HE created, the miracle of each and every single human being alive so far more precious than any materialistic possession in this world.

This morning I clicked on the aol teaser about the world's most expensive homes. The aesthetic in me loved the rich beauty splashed across the screen, but the humanitarian in me couldn't help but to think ... what a tragic waste of God's money.

I'm not trying to say give everything you have to the poor, even though that is biblical. What I am challenging you to do is to view your possessions, your gifts, and your wealth from an eternal perspective and not a worldly one. Does anyone really need a 56 million dollar home? Does anyone even need a 2 million dollar home? Does anyone really need a 200,000 car or 2000 dollar shoes? This stuff is insane! Yes, by all means we need shoes, a car or some mode of transportation, and a home to live in and it is fine to have nice stuff but don't you think over-the-top personal extravagance is pretty blatant when there are precious human beings in our world who do not have food to eat or shelter to keep them warm and dry? It is a cold heart that says, "That's their problem. It's not my problem. " It is a cold heart that doesn't acknowledge that God and GOD ALONE is the giver of talents and that as freely as God has given, he can also taketh away. It is a cold heart that thinks that because of their blessings that they are superior in any way to any other person in this world. It is a cold heart that sees the hunger of another and turns away. It is a cold heart that fails to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to be generous towards others and keeps gathering and storing treasures for himself.

I know I have been guilty at far too many times in my life of having a cold heart. I have been guilty of valuing possessions more than people. In this season of Christmas miracles, I ask God for HIS forgiveness and to remove any coldness within my heart so that I will become someone who values people always far above and beyond how I value any possession that God blesses me with in this life.

Won't you join me in declaring people the most valuable treasure of this world and ask God in unity with me to warm the hearts of all of us around the world? That together we could become more and more the people HE created us to be. May There Be Peace On Earth and Good Will Towards Men! May there be resolution to the strifes that divide us and an end to the wars that threaten to annihilate us before it is too late. May we take the necessary steps to become better stewards of our planet and witness reversals to the disastrous consequences of global warming. Oh Lord, let the warming be in our hearts and not in the ozone layer.
We need a SAVIOR! Merry Christmas !

Copyright (c) Kathi Dameron December 21, 2005