Even Expensive Houses Get Bats - Martin Wiles

But God said to him, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?” Luke 12:20 NLT

I wondered how a house in this neighborhood could attract bats.

We were on a four-day camping trip with a couple from church, but the vacation doubled as a work trip. The man was a wildlife wrangler—in this case, a bat wrangler. He had recently traveled to Sapphire, NC, to rid a house of a bat colony. During our trip, he planned to return to the house and see if all the bats had left and if his trap had worked.

We turned into the subdivision—a gated community. Our friend punched in the code, and the gate opened. We drove up winding roads with steep driveways until we reached the number he looked for.

The houses astounded me. Three-story mansions with manicured yards comprised of nothing but flowers and rocks. No grass. Porches gazing out over the mountains. Million-dollar homes nestled everywhere in this mountain community. I helped my friend with the job. Sure enough, the bats were gone, and he washed their droppings off the back porch. Then it hit me: even expensive homes get bats.

Jesus told a story about a rich man who discovered something about his wealth, too. His crops produced abundantly. So much so that he had to build larger barns. After storing his crops, he planned to sit back and enjoy life. But God told him his life would end. Possessions couldn’t keep death away just as a million-dollar home couldn’t prevent bats.

Everything is temporary. In our age of technology, this truth is even clearer. Few things are made to last any length of time. We live in a throw-away society. Cheap prices, and when it tears up or breaks down, throw it away.

Just as sin affects our spirits, so it does everything in the world. Creation groans to be set free from it, just as we believers long for the day when we’ll be freed from the influences of sin. Sin corrodes … destroys … disappoints.

The house needed a screen and caulking to keep the colony of bats from returning. We need special clothing to deal with the effects of sin. The Bible calls it Christ’s righteousness. And we get it by confessing and repenting of our sin and committing ourselves to follow Christ as our Lord and Savior. Then, no matter how our house—or anything else—looks, God will protect our souls from eternal death.

Let God rid your life of the bats—and anything else—that keeps you from Him.

Prayer: Father, we invite You into our lives, knowing our relationship with You is the only thing that will last.

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