Treasures in heaven

After attending a wedding in London last weekend, this is what I saw when I arrived back at my car:

The first thing I thought about was whether my SatNav (GPS) had been stolen. I had placed it inside the glove compartment. Sure enough. The glove compartment had been left open and the SatNav was gone. I looked around for anything else that might have been destroyed or stolen. Thankfully that was it - a broken window and a stolen SatNav. Some of my car papers were still there, my CD collection was still there, and other small bits and pieces were still there. I was disappointed that my Gideon New Testaments were still there, too. They could have at least taken one of them along as a complimentary gift - much more valuable than a SatNav!

Well, I called the police to report the crime. My initial reaction was a mix of shock, anger and hurt. But that soon changed to thankfulness. I know God was in control and He allowed this to happen for a reason. He could have stopped the thief and protected my car from damage. But He didn't. He knows why and He knows best. I can rest in that. And I am thankful that nothing worse happened. I usually also always have my car radio/CD player in the car, but on that day, I forgot to take it with me to the car when I went to the wedding. That annoyed me at first when I was in the car and I realised I had forgotten the radio. At the end of the day, I was very thankful that God allowed me to forget it for once! I am also very thankful that nothing else was damaged or stolen and that the window that was broken through was the smallest window in the back of the car. So it's just some broken glass and a missing plastic/electronic item. Not a big deal really in the light of eternity.

God then reminded me of the following verses in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 19-21:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

This is life on earth. Thieves broke through my car window and stole my SatNav. But neither my SatNav nor my car is my treasure. My treasure is Jesus and everything He is for me: peace, joy, forgiveness, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. No thief or anybody else can ever take away any of that. In Jesus, I have a treasure that surpasses everything in life and that can never be taken away from me.

I hope the person who stole my SatNav also finds out what is of real value. Later on as I reflected with disappointment that the thief did not take a New Testament, I remembered that I had put some Christian music on my SatNav. So my prayer is that whoever uses my SatNav in future may listen to that music and that this may be a means for them to come to know the truth of God's word and the gospel of Jesus Christ. If this happens, then I will be very happy to have suffered the loss of some small temporary treasure, so that someone else could find an eternal treasure of unsurpassing worth.

PS: To any (potential) thieves reading this: If I get another SatNav, I will never again leave it inside the car - not in the glove compartment or anywhere else. Just so you know...