Finding true value

 One of the most difficult things I have to do as an auctioneer is to tell someone that the things they have treasured have little actual value today. Many of the people I do auctions for are people who are older and moving into assisted living or a smaller home and cannot take everything with them. As we walk through their home, they tell me stories about the dresser they got from their grandmother. I often have to explain to them that the dresser didn't belong to anyone else's grandmother, and that antiques do not sell for much, at least in our area. The sentimental value they have for many of their items is far more than what they can expect them to bring at auction.

Similar things happen with those who buy "Collectibles" from television ads. One young man got angry with me when I told him the 200 or so "Collector Plates" his mother owned might bring a dollar apiece at auction. "Do you know how much she paid for them," he demanded? Yes, and I also have seen many of them sell in auctions. Here's a tip...if it says it's a collector's item, it probably isn't. Such items have little value in the secondary market, especially when sold at auction.

What does hold its value? What is a good investment? The Bible tells us "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Like someone said, you never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul. The story is told of two men who attended the funeral of a very wealthy individual known for his tightfisted ways. One asked the other, "I wonder how much he left behind?" The other man responded, "He left it all." Everything we acquire on earth is just stuff. It breaks, it gets dirty, it loses its value, and eventually, much of it ends up in a dumpster somewhere.

I've been on this rock for nearly 75 years, and the most valuable thing I possess is my relationship with God through Jesus Christ. When I leave this life, and leave all the stuff behind I've accumulated, I know that I have a heavenly home. It is there that I will be reunited with loved ones who have gone on before. It is there that I will enjoy a life without sickness, poverty, pain, hatred and any of the other things that are too prevalent in this life. Most of all, I will be in the presence of Christ who loved us enough to give His life on the cross for our sins.

I pray you are laying up treasures in heaven as well. A relationship with Christ is the most valuable thing you will ever possess because it is truly eternal. 

Storing true treasures

I spent a good part of last week hauling items from an estate for auction. The daughter called me late the week before and asked me to check out her late mother's belongings. She wanted to get the personal items out of the house so she could list it with a realtor. The first thing I saw when I arrived was a large dumpster in front of the house already full. I went through the house and shed and took the items that will sell at auction. They will probably have another full dumpster for the items I didn't take.

Every time I sell an estate at auction I am reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew 6: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

We spend a lifetime accumulating things that are all left behind when our lives end. Often our families are overwhelmed with the responsibility of disposing of it. I've written previously about how our children often do not want any of the things we've collected. Probably over half of the things I sell at auction came to me from people who offered them first to their children only to learn they were not interested in Grandma's china or anything else their parents had accumulated. Dumpsters are often brought in and filled to overflowing with the things we couldn't part with during our lifetimes. The other things are either sold in yard sales or an auctioneer is called in to dispose of the estate.  In either case, our treasures are bought by strangers at the least cost to them or they find their way into a dumpster. At that point our treasures become just "stuff" someone needs to get rid of.

For some reason, last week made me a little philosophical as I began thinking about my own "stuff" that someone will have to deal with at my passing. Like most people, I have a lot of "stuff" that my kids will not want. I sometimes talk about getting rid of some of it, but like a lot of people I think I might still need it sometime. (I probably won't.)

Holding on to "stuff" rather than laying up true treasures in heaven is a common problem. We fill up our basements, attics, garages and then rent storage units to store the rest of the things we accumulate. At the same time, we hardly ever consider what constitutes true treasures.

The last sentence in the above verse is one that should give up pause. Where our treasure is, there your heart will be also. That is a very sobering statement. Our true hearts are revealed if we focus our attention on our "stuff" rather than on the things of God. We can say all the right things, but our hearts are revealed by the treasures we hold onto most tightly.

Treasures that aren't

I was recently asked by a couple if I would sell some items for them at auction. When I asked what they had they told me they had a little bit of everything: antiques, glassware, a lot of old stuff. I had them give me their address and made arrangements to meet the next day. It wasn't until I checked out the address that I learned they lived over an hour away from my house.

The next day I drove to their home to look at the items they wanted to sell. Unfortunately, what they had were inexpensive items that would not bring much at auction. It's always hard for me to tell people that, but as I explained to the couple I would rather tell them upfront rather than explain it as I hand them a disappointing check. They would get far more for their items by having yard sales than trying to sell them at auction.

Driving back I thought about how this would have made a great illustration for the last sermon I preached at the church I served as Transitional Pastor. My message looked at the Pearl of Great Price and dealt with how many people are willing to settle for things of lesser value rather than seeking the truly valuable.

A relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the Pearl of Great Price. Like the pearl merchant in the parable, we have to be willing to trade everything we have in order to enjoy this relationship, but it is well worth it. Nothing is more valuable in this life than a personal relationship with God, and nothing else prepares us for an eternity with Him when this life ends.

Yet, many people want to hold on to lesser things than to possess the greatest relationship they could ever know. They tightly cling to their material possessions, their dreams, their addictions, even their heartaches. They work their entire lives for pebbles when the Pearl of Great Price is available to them.

Since becoming an auctioneer I have been surprised by what people seek and cling to, and I've been even more surprised by the value they place on those things. Whether you amass gold bars or trinkets, it's all just stuff that you'll leave behind when you die. You won't find a hearse pulling a U-Haul. It will all be left for people to either fight over or throw out. The only thing that really matters in one's personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Without that you face a godless eternity when your life here ends, but with that relationship you are assured of eternity in heaven.

What are you seeking? What do you value more than anything else? If you want to know more about having a relationship with God please DM me. I would love to talk to you about it.