Jesus made it abundantly clear that all our ‘stuff’ won’t be going to heaven with us.  Matthew 6:19-21 says…

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The possessions that we spend so much time chasing, collecting, and caring for will all break, rust, be stolen, or eventually burn up.  Absolutely none of our physical possessions will be making the journey into eternity with us, even if we are buried with them.

This weekend we had a special family seminar with guest speaker Steve Minor of the Kingfisher Church of Christ in Oklahoma.  Steve laid it out plain for all in attendance.  In a lesson filled with great thoughts, the statement “Your family is the only thing you can take to heaven” hit me hard.  Nothing we do can insure that another person will go to heaven but we can build and root our family so deeply in Christ that they have an inescapable knowledge of the hope and expectation that is in them.

Raising a family that is going to heaven isn’t a casual thing that happens on Sundays.  It is a battle that happens every day, 24 hours a day.  It happens in the middle of the night when you get up to check on them and you pray over them for guidance and protection.  It happens at the end of the day when all you want is rest but you give them everything you have to show them love and give them a message from the word.  It happens every day when you stand alone and make decisions that defy the norm but guide your family to their eternal home.

If we pursue anything with greater energy and effort than raising our family, we have to honestly ask ourselves if we are truly giving our all.  Jobs, hobbies, friendships, and other activities are all great, but they must meet the constraints of what we are trying to accomplish.  Raising a family that is going to heaven is the kind of stuff that wakes you up in the middle of the night and drops you to your knees in prayer.

It is also good to know that the term ‘family’ has a broader sense.  Those special relationships we enjoy on earth with Christian brothers and sisters will be cherished in heaven as well.  Many of us know the pain of studying the gospel with someone only to see them turn their back on God later in life.  Our Lord spoke of this in the parable of the sower and the seed (Matthew 13:1-23). Many of us also enjoy unique and special relationships that will transcend this life because of the blood of Christ.

Family truly is the only thing we can take to heaven.  It is time that we start living our lives like we understand that.

(Note: For those following the DInnertime Deovtionals series.  That will be published later this morning with a second post for the day from my brother….stay tuned.)