stench of rot

here is another upper rom devotion. funny how timely they can be.

in october, 2005, with a group of 30 people from my congregation, I had
the privilege of traveling to the gulf coast of mississippi to aid in the
relief efforts following hurricane katrina. i was shocked by the
destruction. at one particular home, my job was to move debris out of the
backyard. every possession that these people had worked for and cared
about was suddenly debris, which i moved to a corner to be carried to a
landfill. as i moved the debris, i smelled the foul stench of rot.

thinking about the foul-smelling possessions heaped up on the gulf coast,
i began to smell the foul stench in my own life. i began to question if
Christ was my treasure or if I had put my trust and love in the world, in
possessions, status, and people. have i stored up my treasure here or in
heaven? where is my heart?

we can treasure the things of this world, or we can invest ourselves in
the lasting treasure of a relationship with God. every day we choose
which it will be.