Recently I decided to renovate the living room of our old terrace house. I painted the ceiling and replaced the ugly and dated lights. I took down the faded curtains and put up roller blinds. I spent hours on the walls—sanding off flaking paint, filling the many dents and holes, resanding, then applying multiple coats of new paint. A cement slab in the corner was removed and new tiles were laid. The fireplace also needed to be replaced. Finally, I sanded back the skirting boards and repainted them with gloss. It was hard work, but I felt proud of the changes I saw each day.

About halfway through the project, our town was hit by floods. A similar flood in 2007 had put our house one meter underwater. Thanks to provisions made since then, we suffered only an inch of water filling the kitchen, but other houses on our street had their living rooms flooded. It was a stark reminder that all the work we had put into it could be gone so quickly.

Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3). I can imagine Him excelling at His work and feeling a sense of accomplishment at a job done well. I can’t be sure, but I can imagine Him being disheartened if a catastrophe like a flood had ruined His work before it was complete.

Nevertheless, Jesus was clear: as important as material possessions (like homes) can be, they must never be our treasure (Matthew 6:19). Only God is our treasure (Matthew 6:20). Ultimately, all we own will decay, and much is vulnerable to theft (Matthew 6:19). Our heart and its desires must be centered on God and His kingdom (Matthew 6:21,33). He must be our prime possession.

I take joy in my completed living room, yet it could all be gone tomorrow. But Jesus? I’ll have Him forever!

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Genesis 42:1-38