A Soldier’s Reflections about Treasure that Will Never Rust
According to Jonathan Waldman, author of Rust: The Longest War, the earliest written reference to rust is attributed to a Roman army general lamenting the impact of corrosion on his catapults. The officer claimed the corrosion was inflicting more deaths among his own soldiers than on the enemy’s warriors. This frustrated sentiment was shared by historian Pliny the Elder, who concluded rust was God’s check mate against humanity’s hubris.
“But it’s not just scientists, soldiers, and historians who talk about rust. God himself weighed in on rust through the person of Jesus. ”
I once served as an intelligence officer for the US Army Aviation and Missile Command. After briefing senior Army leaders on intelligence reports at regular meetings, I often became a spectator for subsequent and wide-ranging discussions. Corrosion became a reoccurring theme in these meetings. Even today successfully combating rust in varying climates around the world proves to be a significant priority and headache. Two thousand years after Roman soldiers felt its effect, rust still remains a silent killer and persistent adversary to military readiness.
From a scientific perspective, rust offers corroborating evidence for the second law of thermodynamics, which communicates that a rising state of disorder exists in the world. In layman’s terms? Stuff wears out over time.
Treasures that Do and Do Not Rust
Christians understand that rust and the second law of thermodynamics accompanied the curse. Humanity rebelled against God in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3), and we deal with the aftermath every day. We live in a broken, fallen world with lots of disorder. Scientifically and theologically, we accept this reality and attempt to counter it. It’s a seemingly neverending battle. But it’s not just scientists, soldiers, and historians who talk about rust. God himself weighed in on rust through the person of Jesus. The Son of God addressed corrosion when discussing where we ought to focus our energy and effort.
Don’t 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 neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6:19–21 CSB)
Jesus essentially said (paraphrasing), “Don’t go all in on building up treasures on earth. They won’t last! Rust and thieves come after these things and overtake them.” Instead, Jesus commands us to invest our time and treasure in something rust and thieves can’t touch—the kingdom of Heaven. Riches in God’s kingdom aren’t damaged by rust or thieves, so we ought to go all-in, pouring our time and treasure into that investment.
What does this look like practically? Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. The second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. For Jesus, these commandments are two sides of the same coin. The way you can love your neighbor truly is by loving God completely. This means surrendering and submitting to his reign over your life and honoring him in all you do. And the way you can demonstrate your love and devotion to God is by serving and loving your neighbor.
Loving your neighbor may look like rising early to shovel snow off their driveway. It might be grocery shopping for a work colleague who is sick with COVID, and paying the bill if you have the means. Love may look like routinely opening your home to serve neighbors a home-cooked meal. We engage in these activities to build relationships and make the gospel clear. Servanthood to proclaim the gospel more effectively is the way of Jesus. We may just plant seeds and not see the fruit of our labor. But just like an investment accrues over time, our gospel planting will grow and yield a harvest. Rust is reality. So don’t waste your life living to accrue more “stuff.”
Medals that Do and Do Not Rust
Sometimes God gives us eye-opening experiences to help us see where we are investing. Twelve years ago, I deployed with my armored cavalry regiment to Iraq. During my first night in the country, we took indirect fire from insurgents. As I quickly donned my body armor and tried unsuccessfully to cram my body under my cot, I thought, “Welp, here we go.”
During the deployment, I studied enemy activity relentlessly, delivered scores of intelligence briefings, and coordinated aerial weapons team and route clearance support to increase protection for our soldiers. I sent up “air power” by praying with my chaplain before we went out and whenever my buddies were maneuvering through the most dangerous swaths of Iraq. My biggest prayer was that I would do my job to the best of my ability and that all our soldiers would come home safely to their families. I thought if I performed my duties exceptionally well, God might use my labor to answer that prayer.
In his loving kindness, God did answer our prayers. We did not lose a single soldier during our deployment. Iraq grew more stable during our time there, but soldiers were still routinely dying. The unit that replaced us suffered the death of a field grade officer to an improvised explosive device attack before we redeployed. We knew God had protected us.
It’s customary for military units to recognize soldiers with awards near the end of a deployment. My leadership submitted a Bronze Star Medal Award recommendation for me, but the commanding general downgraded it to an Army Commendation medal. I was deeply disappointed. In my heart, I believed I deserved the more prestigious Bronze Star Medal.
Over time though, I sensed God respond to my frustration. “J.T., you asked me to bring you and your friends safely home from the war. I answered your prayer. Were you working hard for me? Or were you grinding for you? Whose kingdom are you really building?” God opened my eyes to see the depths of my own heart. Truth be told, I was a twenty-something hotshot Army lieutenant chasing adventure and glory for myself instead of praising God for the glory that rightfully belonged to him.
“The medals I received are just things—awards made from metal. ”
Over the years, God has helped me see how the medals I received are just things—awards made from metal. They carry meaning and bring satisfaction. But they are earthly treasures, and these medals have a rendezvous with rust. But those families who got their fathers, mothers, sons, brothers, daughters, and sisters safely back from war—that gift from God was priceless.
A Love Incorruptible
In The Chronicles of Narnia, the white witch wreaks havoc and creates despair by turning creatures into stone. Her actions represent how the curse (i.e., the law of sin) will eventually turn our possessions into rust. They won’t last, and we can’t take them with us as we depart this world. But just as Aslan comes and reverses the white witch’s curse and restores Narnia, the day is coming when king Jesus will come back and renew our broken world.
In the meantime, we need to treasure what will not turn into rust. We need to invest in relationships—with God and with the people he puts in our lives. This is how we store up treasures in Heaven.
God sees our faithful obedience to him and the state of our hearts. He promises to reward those who put their faith in him and obey his teaching. Kingdom investments are foolproof and resistant to earthly forces; they are based in a love that is incorruptible (Eph. 6:24). They’re guaranteed for eternity.
J.T. Wax is Lead Pastor of Agape Humphreys, the military’s largest chapel community. He is husband to Bethany and father to Joseph, Abigail, Joshua, and Jonathan. J.T. is a U.S. Army chaplain endorsed by the North American Mission Board. He and his family serve at US Army Group Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea where they’ve lived since 2019. Justin earned his Master of Divinity from Liberty University and Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. His children’s book, The Cera Kids Learn about Baptism, is available for purchase on Amazon. He blogs at justinwax.com. You can follow him on Twitter @justintwax and on Facebook.