Happy New Year, New Decade!

Jeff and I have a tradition to go on a date on NYE and talk about our past year and the things we're thankful to God for. As we've added more children to our family and moved away from handy grandparent babysitters, we've found this harder to keep up. This NYE is the first we've spent apart in our marriage, though. Jeff spent it in Albany with the two little ones visiting Granny and Gramps and I spent it here in Perth with the two big kiddies, taking them to swimming lessons and celebrating with bubbly apple cider (non-alcoholic!) with dinner. Jeff gets back today, so I spent most of yesterday evening (with the kids' help, and then on my own after they went to bed) cleaning & tidying the house. But New Year's always brings the itch for change in me, and I decided to move the furniture around in the lounge room late into the night. I wonder if Jeff'll notice the difference when he gets home?
This morning I finished the job, sorting all our CDs out in the CD drawer of our coffee table. I found a CD by eli, called "Things I prayed For", that I haven't listened to for ages, and slipped it in the player while the kids and I had lunch. The first two songs bought tears to my eyes (they always do, that's why I bought the CD in the first place). The second song in particular shall provide food for thought as you enter your New Year and New Decade, I hope:

The Lumber Song

Said a friend to a friend one day:

Was a man who passed away

St. Peter met him at the gate

Pete said: Walk with me if you will

I'll take you to the house you built

Man said: I can't wait

passed a mansion made of stone

But with each new house he's shown

They get smaller by degrees

Stopped in front of a two room shack

Peter said: Hope you're happy with that

Man said: How can this be? Pete say:

That's all the lumber - that's all the lumber

That's all the lumber you sent

Looks like the builder - man, He's got your number

That's all the lumber you sent

Man didn't know what to say

Poor guy was blown away

Said: you mean this is what I deserve?

Pete said: I'm afraid it's so

It's too late but now you know

Shoulda done better work

Said: you mean not lie and cheat

And helpin' old ladies across the street?

Pete says: Well, that's a start

Remember that man back in that great big house?

He found out early what it's all about

Built that house with his heart - as for you

That's all the lumber - that's all the lumber

That's all the lumber you sent

Looks like the builder - man, He's got your number

That's all the lumber you sent

What if that man was me

And all failed that miserably

You're showin' me things I don't wanna see

St. Peter if you can

Send me back to earth again

Is that somethin' you can do?

Peter said: It ain't up to me

If it was I'd like to see

How you plan to improve

Said: I'd love God and fellow man

Take a wife and make a stand

Be the givin'est guy I can be

And when I get back to this neighbourhood

There'd be a gigantic pile of wood

And I'd say: What's this I see? - and you tell me

That's all the lumber - that's all your lumber

That's all the lumber you sent

Big Boss'll help you - hammer it all together

That's all the lumber you sent

What lumber are you sending on ahead of you?

1 Corinthians 3:5-15 says this:
"What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe - as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on his foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through flames."

We don't buy our salvation - no one can build a foundation other than the one already laid, the foundational work of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross in our place, so that we might live rightly with God. But we shall all be rewarded for the work we do for Him now, on this earth, before that Day of Judgement.

Matthew 6:19-21 records Jesus' words:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Are you storing up treasure in heaven?