Abandoning Ship

Matthew 6:19-21 says “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

There is a story of a King who sends a group of men by ship to reach a new land. The men say goodbye to everyone they love and climb aboard. They start a trek that seems to take forever and the more time spent on the boat increases the amount that they miss their families. They not only think about the people they miss but also the control that they used to have. They finally get so caught up in their reminiscing that they began to frantically move around the boat.

One man takes his place as captain. His fierce hold on the ship’s wheel cannot become unclenched. Another takes his place at the top of the mass and rebukes anyone for even touching his wooden home. Still another drew a circle around him and hissed when people got close. Everyone had their place on the ship and that was all that they cared about; except for one man.

This man watched the madness take place and stood back and shouted to the men, “We’re not there yet!” Everyone heard the yell clearly and turned their attention to the man with no appearance of belonging. “Beware your grip,” he exclaimed, “for the day will come when we will reach the new world and we’ll leave this ship behind; never to return.”

I started thinking about this story when I read this passage. It kept coming up in my mind and it made no sense for why the men were holding on to things that would soon fade away. But then I thought, “How many times have we done the same?”

This world will end - soon. When we store up treasures for ourselves on this earth, we are just like the men who draw lines and erect boundaries on their ship. One day, Jesus will come for us and take us to our Home where we will spend the rest of eternity, and when that day comes, we’ll leave everything behind; never to return to any of it.

I pray that this message comes across not to beg you to sell every last bit of material but to look at what you own with an eternal mindset - a Kingdom Mindset. This also is not slander against those who have more than they need for their place in the Kingdom is just as important and needed as the ones who give up their lives. This story is to encourage you to examine how you’re doing. Are you storing up treasures in Heaven or are you gripped tight to the boat that you’ll soon leave?

“Cause one day we’ll get there and start life anew. Please keep your minds on Abandoning Ship” –Forsake All