Tag Archives: heavenly treasures

Searching For Treasure

Almost every time I’ve gone to the beach, I’ve seen people walking around with metal detectors. They walk up and down them scanning for treasures lost by others. You can hear it beep, and then they start digging. I’ve also watched videos of people who drag sifters through the sand trying to pick up things. I wonder if they found something, and then think I should buy a metal detector. I never do though. The difference between us is that because they are searching for it, and I’m not, they’re the ones who are likely to find hidden treasure. They’re willing to dig, to sift and to do what it takes in order to find treasure. Hoping to find it, without doing anything, will not result in me finding treasure.

I love the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. He believed in God and had come to Jerusalem to worship. He was on his way home and had purchased a scroll of Isaiah, which was very costly. While he was riding along in his chariot, the Lord spoke to Philip and told him to go south of Jerusalem to the desert road. Philip obeyed not knowing why. It was on that road that their paths crossed and he heard the Ethiopian reading Isaiah searching to know God more as he read chapter 53. Philip asked if he understood, but the Ethiopian said he couldn’t unless someone explained it. That day, the Ethiopian found the treasure he had been seeking and accepted Jesus as his savior. Philip baptized him and was carried away by the Spirit while the Ethiopian returned home spiritually rich.

Colossians 2:3 says, “For our spiritual wealth is in him, like hidden treasure waiting to be discovered—heaven’s wisdom and endless riches of revelation knowledge” (TPT). In Christ are all the spiritual treasures are available to us. Like any treasure, we must seek it, dig deep and do what it takes to find it. The more you dig into God’s Word, the more you will discover who He is. The more time you spend with Christ Jesus getting to know Him, the more treasure you will find. If your Bible is never opened or you never stop to pray, you can’t expect to find the hidden treasure He has for you. If you seek Him, you will find Him, but you must search for Him as you would a hidden treasure.

Photo by Fer Troulik on Unsplash

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Storing Treasures In Heaven

I remember doing a paper in college on the brokenness of the United States’ Social Security system. All the research I had done showed that the system was upside down and would not be able to sustain the retiring Boomers. It was recommended that Xers and younger should invest in their retirement through 401k’s and other means. Because of all that, we each have a mindset of doing what we can now to make sure we have enough in our former years. Even this week, I spent a few hours researching stocks, their performance, their diversification and ability to grow over time. I think it’s good to have a plan for the retirement years, but I’m left to wonder how much time, effort and energy do I spend planning for eternity.

When compared to eternity, a lifetime here is nothing more than a nanosecond. How much more should we be investing in the afterlife? In Matthew 6:20-21, Jesus said, “Instead, stockpile heavenly treasures for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay, or lose their value. For your heart will always pursue what you value as your treasure” (TPT). That last verse should have each of us looking at what we’re pursuing in this life. Where are your energies focused? Are they for things that matter now or for eternity? Again, I think it’s wise to plan for your financial future here, but it’s critical to plan for your eternity there. God’s economy is different than ours and how you invest in it is different too.

You and I must value the same things that God values if we’re going to store up treasures in Heaven. God has always valued and cared for people, especially the members of society we seem to ignore. He values giving justice to those who need it, but don’t have a voice to get it. He values mercy and grace, specifically to those who don’t deserve it. He also giving of our possessions more than hoarding them. Finally, later on in this chapter, Jesus reminds us that we must seek His Kingdom first before we seek our own. I believe when we put His priorities above our own, we store up treasures in Heaven. You can’t check your heavenly bank account through an app, but you can measure it through lives changed.

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