Your Secret Stash

 TV shows some kind of news about hoarding on TV just about every week.  They show houses filled with so much stuff that it is hard to move.  Most of the most extreme hoarders are mentally ill.

 Many more fear for the future and store up things against want and deprivation.  They fear that they will not have food or goods in an emergency or disaster.  The government warns that we will be on our own in case of natural or manmade catastrophe.

Do you remember the Y2k crisis?  The news warned of computer failures, airplanes falling from the sky, stores unable to sell, and necessities disappearing.  Most of us started hoarding.  I remember the equivalent of a small grocery store in the basement. 

The appointed day arrived and left without incident, but we ate canned soup for months.

Don’t worry

The Bible tells us to not worry about tomorrow.  Matthew 6:34 says  ^“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” KJV

Depend on God

Of course, it is prudent to be a wise conservator of what you have, but God wants us to depend on Him.   The book of Exodus tells us that God fed the Israelites manna from heaven for the 40 years that they wandered in the desert.  He sent doves when they complained that they wanted variety.  When the women gathered up more manna than they needed, it turned to worms.

They wore the same clothes and shoes for that entire time.  A pillar of fire guided them by night and a pillar of cloud during the day. 

He still supplies us with what we need. Many of you bear witness to times when God took care of you during extraordinary circumstances.  We need not hoard and worry but move ahead with the confidence that comes from knowing God has your back.

Who do you trust?

Do you trust God, or yourself? What is your secret stash?  Is it filled with treasures in heaven, or futile attempts to take care of the future? He will never fail to meet your need if you put His kingdom first.