Bible Reading: Matthew 6:19-21

Don’t store up treasures here on earth. . . . Store your treasures in heaven.   Matthew 6:19-20

Evan’s story all starts with lemonade stands. Not just one lemonade stand, mind you, but a whole chain of lemonade stands.

Evan loved the whirrr-king-ka-chink noise of his automated coin-counting bank. And one summer when the sun blazed hot and all the people of his hometown were suffering mightily in the heat, he struck on an idea. A money gusher of an idea. On the main street corner of his beloved hometown, Evan built a lemonade stand. With everyone in the town a-sweltering in the heat, he sold lemonade by the barrel. Because his lemonade was so good and the sun so hot, he could charge premium prices. And he did.

But Evan was just getting warmed up. Soon he opened other lemonade stands in the suburbs. He signed up other kids to dispense the lemonade while he mixed the juice, hauled it to the stands, and ran home with the profits. Pretty soon he was the undisputed lemonade king of Smellyfoot, South Dakota.

Evan was helping people by quenching their thirst, but he wasn’t thinking much about that. All he cared about was the garage full of stuff he’d bought with his money. Not that he enjoyed any of it all that much. All that mattered to Evan was getting more.

Talk about it: Are you ever like Evan? Do you ever just want more and more?

It’s normal to want great stuff. The secret is wanting the best stuff.

Like Evan, it’s easy to think that the best stuff you could have are things like CDs, clothes, cars, video games, sports gear, computer equipment, and more. But have you ever pondered where that stuff will be just a year from now? The clothes will be out of style, the electronics obsolete, and the video games a total bore. And a few years after that, everything will be dust.

If stuff is all you can show for your hard work, you won’t have much to show. But you have the chance to make a wiser choice—to invest your time and efforts in treasures that will last beyond the next couple of years.

The treasures that will last forever are the close, loving connections we make with people—the kind that result in them trusting Christ and growing as his disciples. Those are treasures that will never lose their value or become out-of-date. And that’s an investment opportunity too good to pass up!

TALK: How can you invest your time in treasures that will last?

PRAY: Lord, help us wisely invest our life in things that matter for eternity.

ACT: What changes do you need to make to the way you are investing your time? Invest some time and energy in a friend today!

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