The Token That Stopped Spending

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” - Matthew 6:19

There was a time when arcade tokens felt valuable. You could hold them, trade them, and use them to unlock fun and excitement. But once the arcade shut its doors, those same tokens lost all their power. They did not change shape. They did not disappear. They simply stopped working. What once felt useful suddenly became meaningless. Jesus used a similar idea when He spoke about where people choose to invest their lives.

Every day, you are spending something. Time. Energy. Attention. Emotion. You pour these resources into what you believe will bring comfort, security, or satisfaction. At first, those investments seem to pay off. Achievements feel rewarding. Possessions feel reassuring. Control feels stabilizing. Over time, though, many people discover that these things lose their ability to satisfy. The return fades. The excitement dulls. The comfort expires.

Earthly investments are not evil, but they are temporary. They were never designed to carry eternal weight. When you ask them to provide lasting peace or identity, they fail you in the same way those old tokens do. The system they belong to cannot deliver what your soul truly needs. Jesus was not warning people to abandon life. He was inviting them to invest wisely.

Eternal investments operate differently. When you pour into faith, obedience, generosity, and love, the impact does not fade with time. These investments grow quietly and steadily. They shape character. They influence others. They build something that continues long after circumstances change. No downturn, loss, or season of hardship can strip them of value. What is given to God is never wasted.

Many people feel restless because they have been spending heavily in places that no longer work. The exhaustion you feel may not come from doing too much, but from investing in the wrong things. Jesus invites you to shift your focus, not out of guilt, but out of wisdom. He wants your life to count beyond the moment you are standing in.

Take a moment to reflect on where your energy has been going. Ask yourself what you are truly investing in. Some tokens will eventually stop spending. Eternal things never do. When you choose to invest in what lasts, you trade temporary comfort for lasting purpose. That kind of return never expires.