Unleashed: As You Go – Pray
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)
“How much money is enough?” The reporter’s question prompted John D. Rockefeller’s response, “Just a little bit more.” Over his lifetime Rockefeller would amass a fortune becoming the first billionaire in the United States before his death at age 97. Yet I think Rockefeller fully understood that the “little bit more” could not be held onto for eternity. Rockefeller, who daily read his Bible, attended prayer meetings twice a week and led a Bible study along with his wife, understood the temporary status of his treasure. A lot of his giving was church-related; generous to Baptist missionary causes, funding universities and social ministries.
What is the value you place on your treasures? Rockefeller used the wealth entrusted to him “where moths and rust cannot destroy.” Unfortunately, we often don’t realize the real value of something until it is gone. It could be something material or lost intimacy with a family member or a relationship with God. An antiques enthusiast in Connecticut could easily relate to Jesus’ parable in Matthew; “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (13:44)
An antiques hunter came across an interesting looking porcelain bowl at a yard sale in New Haven, Connecticut and purchased it for $35. The buyer did some research on his purchase and found out the bowl was a 15th century Ming Dynasty-era piece. The $35 yard sale bowl ended up selling for $721,800 at a Sotheby auction. Angela McAteer with Sotheby said it was a once in a lifetime discovery. McAteer said, “How the bowl ended up at a Connecticut yard sale remains a mystery. It’s possible it was passed down through generations of the same family who did not know how unique it was.”
How easily do you discard your treasure? A 64-year-old man in southeast Germany found two framed paintings in a roadside dumpster. The paintings were actually 17th century original portraits by Italian artist Pietro Bellotti and Dutch artist Samuel van Hoogstraten. The police launched an investigation into how two priceless artifacts ended up in the trash can. I am pretty certain that whoever threw out the two paintings had no idea of their real value.
Time after time Jesus confronted the religious leaders of the day because they repeatedly rejected the precious gift of God’s love replacing it with worthless rituals and requirements. “The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure.” (Matthew 12:35)
Do we discard the real treasure of a friendship over a heated argument about politics? Do we discard the real treasure of a church family because of a disagreement over an issue? Do we discard the real treasure of a relationship with God because He didn’t answer a prayer the way we though He should?
In Star Winar magazine, a most interesting article was posted on the relationship between happiness and treasure. “The most remarkable research is one done involving the world’s richest and poorest peoples. The Forbes 400 “richest” list was given a survey and their satisfaction level was rated at exactly the same point as were the people of Masai of Kenya and the Intuit people of northern Greenland, both of whom have neither electricity nor running water.
Money is a necessity to live but apparently it can’t buy happiness and that’s for you to decide. And as the old saying goes, “Money can buy you a house but it can’t buy you a home.”
Regardless of the size of our bank account, our 401K or the square footage of our house; the real treasure is “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Paul writes in 2 Corinthians that “we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” There is nothing wrong with earthly treasures if you hold them loosely. The real treasure you need to guard and hold tightly is the treasure of heaven found in Jesus Christ. One writer asked the question, “What do others see in you—the glory of God in a clay pot, or a clay pot trying to look like a treasure chest?”
God is great,
Pastor Lynn