A number of years ago, my husband called my office late one Friday afternoon to tell me something wasn’t quite right at home. He said the front door was standing open, and we both knew we had locked it on the way out that morning.

I hurried home to find that our back door had been forced open, my jewelry box was almost empty, and some other items were missing.

Of course, we called the police. Then I began the arduous task of making a list of missing items. At the top of the list was my beautiful pearl necklace, my husband’s gift to me on our wedding day. There was an inexpensive silver ring, given to me by a cousin when I was just a little girl. There were other pieces of jewelry missing, most of which were treasured possessions, most were not especially expensive.

You’ll notice I described them as “treasured possessions.” I refer to them that way because they had sentimental meaning for me, gifts from family and friends, reminders of the past. They were things I valued.

What are your most treasured possessions? It may be a collection of coins, art, baseball cards, Barbie dolls; or it may be money in the bank, securities, property, silver pieces, or some other earthly valuable possession.

What does scripture says about treasures? What are the things God wants us to value? How can possessions, or the love of them, affect us?

• Possessions sometimes keep us from sharing with others.

Jesus was approached by someone in a crowd of people and asked this question, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied to this man that He wasn’t a judge or an arbitrator. He did warn him against covetousness; He said, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

Jesus then proceeded to tell them a parable. He said there was a rich man, a farmer, whose field produced an abundance of crops. The man wondered what he would do with the excess, and he decided that he would tear down his barns and build greater barns so he could store all the bounty of his harvest.

Then he said to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19). To this, God told the farmer that he would die that very night, and all of his bounty would be worthless to him.

Jesus then said to the crowd, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). The farmer took care of himself, but he had no inclination to share.

• Possessions keep us from helping the needy.

In Luke 16, Jesus told the story of a certain rich man, one that had everything he could possibly want or need. At the gate to his home lay a poor man, covered with sores, begging for food day after day.

Both of these men died, the rich man sent to torment; Lazarus was carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom. There he was comforted while the rich man was tortured in flames.

The rich man begged for just a drop of water and for Lazarus to go back to earth and warn his brothers. Abraham told this rich man that this was not possible. He had his chance on earth to share and show compassion, but he chose not to help.

Abraham told him, “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish” (Luke 16:25). 

• Possessions become so important that we can’t let go of them.

A certain ruler approached Jesus and asked Him what he could do to inherit eternal life. He was obviously serious about his request, and Jesus told him that he should keep the commandments, referring to the Ten Commandments given to Moses and the Children of Israel.

The man assured Jesus that he had kept these commandments all of his life, and Jesus told him he lacked one more thing. He needed to sell what he had and give it to the poor; then he should come back and follow Him. Luke says this young man became sad because he was very wealthy. Then Luke says, “Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24-25).

• Possession can cause us to look down on those who have less than we do.

Jesus had been warning the people about the scribes and their love of being recognized for their position, their long prayers and their mistreatment of widows. As He was speaking, he saw the rich men “casting their gifts into the treasury.”

A widow approached and put in two mites, an insignificant amount of money to these rich Jews. Jesus said, “For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:4).

It’s not hard to get the point. Possessions serve a purpose, but they sometimes hinder our faith. Jesus said, “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 ESV). 

Sandra Oliver