Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven. Matthew 6:19-20 NLT
Extravagant beyond imagination was all that ran through my mind.
George Vanderbilt created Biltmore in 1895 for family and friends as an escape from everyday life. His descendants still own this magnificent display of wealth that rests beautifully on eight thousand acres of land. After six years of construction, George officially opened the estate on Christmas Eve for himself, his wife Edith, and their daughter Cornelia.
As my wife and I and hundreds of others toured selected rooms of this immaculate estate, we witnessed opulence at its best. A banquet hall that once sat 38 people around a large oak table, a Billiard Room, a library where nearly half of Mr. Vanderbilt's 23,000-volume collection lines the walls in floor-to-ceiling bookcases, guest bedrooms with private bathrooms, a bowling alley, and a 70,000-gallon indoor swimming pool.
I couldn't help but wonder what George Vanderbilt thought about Jesus' warning against storing up wealth on earth. But then again, was Jesus really saying it was a sin to do so? Perhaps his warning was only against the dangers of what wealth can do to our focus.
Earthly possessions may pretend to grant happiness—as they did for the Vanderbilt's, their family, and their many guests—but if our happiness disappears when the possessions do, then happiness was never genuinely experienced in the first place.
We can use possessions foolishly or for God's purposes. Many people still enjoy the elegance of the Vanderbilt Estate. King Solomon was the wealthiest man ever to live, but he divided his loyalties and possessions between the one true God and the false gods of his many wives. God gives us our possessions, and we should use them to advance his Kingdom.
Nor can we take our possessions with us when we die. Mr. Vanderbilt left all his behind at 51. He undoubtedly ensured through a will that his family inherited what he had labored for. Wills are essential, but we'll still leave what we've amassed behind. Jesus says we should store our goods in heaven. We do this by serving him and others.
Possessions are temporary, but they have eternal implications. We can use them selfishly and be poor eternally or use them to benefit others and God's work and be rich eternally. The choice is ours.
Father, guide me to understand that all I have comes from you and should be used for your honor and glory.
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