Do you like treasure hunts? As a child I was captivated by pirate stories and their adventurous pursuits of buried treasure. ‘X’ always marked the spot on some deserted island, if you could only find the ‘X’.
Did you know God has a lot to say about treasures and even treasure hunts? In Matthew 13:44, Jesus tells a parable of a man who discovers treasure: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” I imagine most of would do that too, if we found a hidden treasure of great worth, sell everything to possess it.
Job was a pretty well-to-do guy before and after his trials. In his sufferings he reflected that all a man’s treasures cannot save him. (Job 20:20) And despite his extreme suffering Job said he treasured God’s word more than his own daily bread. (Job 23:12)
Proverbs 2:4 advises us to live lives of adventure and pursue the treasure of understanding God’s word. Elsewhere, we are counseled to pursue the treasure of wisdom. And there is much more in the bible about treasures gained and treasures lost.
Did you know that YOU are God’s treasure? Exodus 19:5 tells us that we are treasured by God, if in fact we are his children. Jesus tells us that we should store up treasures in heaven. Unlike our earthy treasures, heavenly treasures can’t be ruined by a falling stock market or destroyed or stolen.
I suppose everyone pursues treasures of various kinds, hoping they will bring happiness. Even when our heart desires to pursue Jesus, we still have a tendency to cling to our earthly possessions. This was the case of the rich young ruler who wanted to inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus knew the man’s heart was obsessed with his riches and told him to sell everything he had, give to the poor, pursue riches in heaven, and follow him (Jesus). (Mark 10:20)
It seems that God is not so much concerned that we come to possess treasures, but what kind of treasures we seek and what we do with them. A common theme when people experience life changing crises is that they come to evaluate the things, people and relationships they treasure. Better yet that we discover and meditate of the quality of our treasures before crisis comes upon us.
As you think about your daily routines and your life ambitions, what treasures are you choosing to seek? As the old knight said in the Indiana Jones movie, “Choose wisely.”
