By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
A-tisket, a-tasket, a green and yellow basket. I wrote a letter to my love, and on the way I dropped it.
Like most children, I never gave much thought to those words. I imagined a little girl happily skipping along with her colorful basket until, somewhere along the road, she accidentally dropped it. It wasn’t until years later that I realized the basket wasn’t really the tragedy. Baskets are replaceable. The real loss was what she was carrying. She dropped the letter to her love.
The older I get, the more I realize that’s exactly how life works. Most don’t lose everything overnight. We lose it one misplaced treasure at a time. Looking back, I wish I had been a little more thrifty with the things that mattered most. I’d give anything to have those old love letters from Sherrie again.
Jesus understood that better than anyone.
Immediately teaching us to practice our rightness in secret, Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Most have heard those verses countless times. Unfortunately, we’ve often heard them through the wrong lens. We assume Jesus is talking primarily about money. He certainly includes money, but His target is much larger than our bank account. He’s aiming at our value system.
In fact, I think this may be one of the most misunderstood commands Jesus ever gave. Mention the word thriftiness, and what comes to mind? For many, it’s clipping coupons, driving an older pickup, shopping at thrift stores, or finding the best deal online. Others picture someone who refuses to spend a dollar unless absolutely necessary. While there’s nothing wrong with wise financial stewardship, that’s not the kind of thriftiness Jesus is teaching.
Biblical thriftiness isn’t about spending less. It’s about wasting less. There’s a profound difference.
You can be incredibly frugal with money while being incredibly wasteful with your life. You can save every dollar and squander your marriage. You can build a sizable retirement account while neglecting your children and grandchildren. You can protect your investments while starving your soul. You can accumulate influence while quietly losing your integrity. You can even devote every waking hour to winning political battles while forgetting the Kingdom Jesus actually came to establish.
That last one may sting a little.
Sherrie and I care deeply about our country. We believe elections matter, and I hope every eligible Christian votes this election season; IT MATTERS. Good government is worth pursuing, and freedom is worth protecting. But our greatest investment has never been in politics. Governments may restrain evil for a time, but only Jesus transforms the human heart. Politics has its place. Jesus has the throne.
Politics may restrain evil for a season. It cannot redeem a single soul. Legislation may influence behavior. It cannot transform a heart. An election may change the direction of a nation. Only Christ can change the direction of eternity. Perhaps that’s why Jesus never said, “Lay up political victories.” He never said, “Lay up successful economies.” He never even said, “Lay up great nations.” He said, “Lay up treasures in heaven.” Why?
Because every earthly kingdom eventually fades. Every political movement eventually changes. Every economy rises and falls. Every civilization eventually becomes another chapter in a history book. Only one Kingdom has never been shaken. Only one King still sits on His throne. Only one investment survives death. That changes everything.
The Greek word Jesus uses for “lay up” literally means to store away, to accumulate, or to deposit into a treasury. In other words, Jesus is speaking like an investor. Every day, whether we realize it or not, we are making deposits into one of two accounts. One account remains on earth. The other follows us into eternity. The question isn’t whether you’re investing. The question is where.
Every hour you spend is a deposit. Every conversation is a deposit. Every act of mercy is a deposit. Every prayer whispered when no one is watching is a deposit. Every temptation resisted is a deposit. Every truth spoken in love is a deposit. Every child discipled is a deposit. Every enemy forgiven is a deposit. Every opportunity to reflect Christ is a deposit. Every resource God entrusts to you becomes an opportunity to invest in something that moths cannot destroy, rust cannot corrode, thieves cannot steal, governments cannot tax, markets cannot crash, and death itself cannot erase. Now that’s thriftiness. I hope I made my point.
Jesus isn’t asking us to become penny-pinchers. He’s asking us to become wise investors. Every day we receive another twenty-four hours. Another conversation. Another opportunity. Another relationship. Another resource. The question isn’t how much we’ve been given. The question is whether we’re investing it in something eternal.
Now…as I think back to that little green and yellow basket, I can’t help but wonder if Jesus might ask each of us one simple question:
“What are you carrying… and what are you in danger of dropping?”
Because somewhere along the road, many of us have become experts at protecting the basket while quietly losing the love letter from God. And that may be the greatest waste of all…
A-tisket, a-tasket, a green and yellow basket. I wrote a letter to my love, and on the way I dropped it.
As always… God is here. God is able. God is good.
Pastor Drake
I’ll be continuing this conversation later this week on the Just Sayin’ podcast, where we’ll take a deeper look at The Thriftiness Weapon: A-Tisket A-Tasket.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so, we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.