Patrons of a branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) in Tinsukia informed bank officials that one of their ATM machines was not working.  An “out-of-order sign” was posted on the machine on May 20 until a technician could investigate the issue.

When a technician opened it, Chandan Sharma, manager of the SBI branch, told reporters “they were shocked to find shredded notes and a dead rat.”

Apparently the rat entered the machine through a hole intended for cables and then it “went to work.”  This money-hungry rat chewed through and destroyed an estimated 1.2 to 1.3 million rupees ($17,662 to $19,000) in cash! *

Reflecting on this news, Cory Collins asked, “Are rats smart?”

“Sure!” Collins answers his own question.  “This rat built a home, padded his nest, and died surrounded by more cash than he could spend!  And he did it by eating into others’ cash and not his own!”

“Or maybe he wasn’t so smart,” Collins interjects.  “His warm, comfy nest turned into a trap.  He lost his life, and though he was immensely wealthy, he couldn’t take any of it with him.” *

“We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7).

With the demise of this money-hungry rat in mind, consider additional truths from 1 Timothy 6: “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10 NIV).

Upon what are we building our lives?  Where are we building our “nest”?  In what are we placing our hope?

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust [and rats!] destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21

Eternal treasures in heaven are made possible through Jesus Christ.  God loves us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins that separate us from Him (John 3:16; Isaiah 59:1-2).  Through Jesus, we can find proper meaning in this life (and it’s not the rat race!) and receive the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23).

To accept God’s offer of salvation from sin and eternal life, we must place our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).  Then, as we continue to walk in the light of His Word, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

Let’s learn some lessons from that money-hungry rat.  Don’t build your nest with anything that this world has to offer.  Lay up for yourself eternal treasures in heaven by trusting and obeying Jesus.

Won’t YOU?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from “Hungry rat shreds more than $17,500 of cash inside ATM in India” by Ashley May of USA TODAY NETWORK, Published June 22, 2018, www.usatoday.com and “Keys to the Kingdom – The Sermon on the Mount - 16 APPLICATION” from the blog Serving and Sharing: Cory Collins, www.coryhcollins.blogspot.com, Monday, June 25, 2018.

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

Archived issues of Living Water can be viewed and accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org