

(Jesus said) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." Matthew 6:19
This past week I was shopping for a birthday present for one of my relatives when I overheard a conversation between a salesclerk and what she thought was a potential customer.
The reason I paid attention to the customer was because he was wearing a tall, ten-gallon cowboy hat and western gear.
That's not something you see often in a St. Louis mall.
At any rate, the man appeared to be looking for something, so she asked if there was anything she could help him find. He drawled, politely, "No, ma'am, I don't think so. I was just impressed because I never have seen so many things I could do without."
My house is filled with stuff I can do without.
There are things that were given me that have never been used.
There are things which are broken, but which have not been thrown away. Yes, there are so many things I can do without.
There is one thing in my house I can't do without, and that is the love of the Lord. That love is the first thing I need in the morning and the last thing I need at the end of the day.
The love of the Lord is a flexible thing.
It is strong when I'm weak, helpful when I'm helpless. Surely, I can get by with a lot less stuff, but I hope I am truly thankful that I'll never have to get along without the love of the Lord as it has been shown in His crucified and risen Son.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for supplying my every need. Help me to control my wants and make me appreciative of that which ought to be most important: Your love and my Savior. In His Name, I pray it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 101, 103, 108 John 15
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"