Donuts and oil

" 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." Matthew 6:19-21

If you're like me, it would be difficult for you to choose between a regular Krispy Kreme donut and a chocolate-covered one. On the one hand, the regular donut just shines with its delicious sugary glaze. On the other hand, you can never go wrong with chocolate.

But suppose you were offered the following choice: your favorite Krispy Kreme donut, or all the oil fields of Texas. Not such a tough choice for anyone with a modicum of sense.

Still, there might be someone who'd say, "I'd take the donut."

The donut? Why?

"Well, it's right there in front of you. And it's great. And you can enjoy it right now and be satisfied by the pleasure it brings. If you took the oil fields, there would be paperwork to fill out, taxes to pay, and the benefits wouldn't come for some time yet."

While all that is true, it misses the point. The benefits of the oil fields, while delayed, exponentially outweigh the benefits of a one-time encounter with a donut.

Sadly, there are many professing Christians who are opting for...the donut. They are investing their energies and passions in things that are here for a short while, but will be long gone and forgotten throughout eternity. The enemy's strategy of distracting the believer with the fun stuff of earth, to the neglect of the essential spiritual tasks our Lord has assigned to us, has been most effective.

Let us examine ourselves, and ask the Lord to bring to our attention those things which compete against Him for our allegiance. Let us give our idols the heave-ho, and be about the Father's business.