by Eric von Atzigen
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-33 (NIV)
I have spent the last 37 days reading Moby Dick. I’m not sure what I was doing in high school, but I sure wasn’t reading Herman Melville’s account of a man chasing a great white whale on the high seas. This time around, however, it has fascinated me. It might just be that every man had a dream to be a sailor at one time in his life, and it’s my way of achieving that goal. It could be something deeper, though. It could be that every one of us recognizes that part of our own hearts which can so easily be led into obsession, just like the notorious Captain Ahab.
I’ll be the first to admit I tend to fixate on things that interest me, a personality trait I have to keep in check. It can, however, be useful. I fell in love with Jesus sixteen years ago, and I’ve never tired of pursuing Him. It’s this “obsession” that leads me to preach the gospel without burning out. I desire every person I meet to know the love of God the way I have come to know it.
What things have captured your heart? Your hobby? Making money? Being known by the right people? Or, is it seeing the Kingdom of Heaven come to Earth?
Today is a wonderful time to evaluate your life, to bring the broken parts to Jesus, and to receive grace to begin anew. Maybe it’s also time to “obsess” with the desire to see the lost on this earth caught in God’s nets of salvation.
