Ray Stedman, setting off an extended speaking tour, had the misfortune of having an airline lose his baggage; so he went to an op shop to buy a suit. The salesman led him to a rack of near new suits. ‘They’ve all been cleaned and pressed,’ he said, ‘And they’ve only been used once. We get them from the local mortuary. Not a thing wrong with ’em. Only $25 each.’
Well, Stedman was desperate, so he tried a few on and finally bought two. It was only when he got dressed for his first meeting that he found they had no pockets; just flaps to look like pockets. Then he remembered: dead people don’t carry stuff with them.
It gave a new meaning to the message he preached that night – about how Jesus said: ‘Store your treasure in heaven, where it’s safe; because the only thing you’ll take is what you are.