The Treasure Within

The  Treasure Within

A little boy once asked his mother, “Where do we come from?” The mother, not wanting to get caught up in deep and meaningful (and sometimes awkward) discussion said, “God made us out of dust.”  “Oh!” was the response.  A few moments later, the boy asked, “Mummy what happens to us when we die?”  Again, the mother answered simply, “We return to dust.”  Satisfied, the little boy went on his merry way.  A few days later he came to his mother again, somewhat afraid.  “What’s the matter, Tommy?” mother asked.  “There’s someone under my bed and I don’t know if he’s coming or going!”

Earthen Vessels
We may laugh at this funny little story but reality is, according to the Bible, God did make mankind from the dust of the earth and though our spirits live on, when our bodies die they return to the elements of the earth.  We are the ‘earthen vessels’ that Paul wrote about in his second letter to the Corinthians (Ch.4.7) and we need to be aware of our own mortality and fragility.  We need to know that death is all around us, but for the Christian, ‘in the midst of death, there is life’. 

My son once found a cocoon on a leaf of our lemon tree.  He plucked the leaf and placed it in a jar.  For weeks it remained there, the leaf all but dead except that where the cocoon was attached to the leaf there was a circle of life.  What an amazing phenomenon! 

We need to remember, whenever we feel proud and boastful, self satisfied and self sufficient that we are just lumps of clay in the hands of the Master Potter and earthen vessels chip and crack and break. They are fragile and sometimes leak but in the hands of the Master they are objects of great value that he can use as we allow him.

Understanding the Treasure
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4 that ‘we have this treasure in earthen vessels” (v.7).  What is this treasure. 

There is a sense in which the treasure is you.  The life God has given you and the way you live it determines its value.  Inside the crumbling cocoon is a beautiful butterfly waiting to emerge when the time is right.  Some of us dread the aging process but it is like that crumbling cocoon and just as the butterfly is becoming more and more beautiful within so are we when we live our lives in relationship with God.  We need not fear death for it is the emergence of our beautiful selves made into the likeness of Christ.  Stephen Curtis Chapman wrote:

“Your are a treasure
Worth more than anything under the sun or the moon
God's greatest treasure
Is the treasure of you…”

And when we read in John 3.16 that God so loved us…we can see how precious we are to Him.

Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34) He spoke of a heavenly treasure that was indestructible (Luke 12.33).  The rich young ruler was told to give away his earthly treasure in order to gain the heavenly. So often our treasure is wrapped up in our earthly belongings, home, car, assets, money, things that will pass away and we overlook that things that last, the imperishable. 

Jesus also spoke about the unsurpassable value of this treasure.  In Matthew, he said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” (Ch.13:44) 

In the Gospel of Luke, we read of the good treasure that comes from the heart.(Ch.6:45) I believe this is the influence we can have on others around us.  The good things we say and do come from our attitudes and thoughts and bring blessing to others.

The prophet Isaiah said that the ‘fear of the Lord is his treasure’ (Ch.33:6) He recognised that a right relationship with God was something of infinite value. 

Isaiah also spoke of the ‘treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places’ (Ch. 45.3) so that we might know the sovereignty of God in our lives.  God spoke to Job in his suffering about the treasures in the snow and in the hail. (Job.38.22)  Sometimes we don’t appreciate the hidden treasures around us.  Darkness, snow and hail speak of bleakness and coldness  but even in these times in our lives, God has treasures for us to find and enjoy.  Recently, I fell and broke my leg.  I was off work for more than three months.  So many aspects of my life were disrupted yet in the midst of all this difficulty, I found so many ‘treasures’.  God’s financial provision, renewed friendships, loving care, opportunities to be involved in other situations normally impossible due to my employment.  It seemed that all along the way, God had dotted the experience with his blessings.  So often when we pass through dark harsh experiences, we fail to see the hand of God and the treasures He has for us at the time, yet in retrospect, we see the lessons He has taught us, the blessings in spite of, or in the midst of, the pain, and we do recognise His sovereignty.

Again, in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks of this treasure in earthen vessels as being “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor.4.7)

It would appear that knowing God through His Son Jesus Christ and living in a right relationship with Him is the greatest treasure of all. 

A treasure is something of infinite value.  These scriptures cause us to consider what is really of value in our lives.  What really matters?  A minister, who had recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour, told me it was now more important to sit and play with his granddaughter than to watch the news on television.  If we know we are living on limited time, it certainly causes us to reassess our lives and our priorities but none of us knows how much time we have here on this earth and sorting out our values should always be top priority.

The Treasure in You
The Bible also tells us that the treasure is Christ in you.  John 1 says “As many as received Him to them he gave the right to become the children of God”.  Paul in his letter to the Colossians said “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Ch.1.27).

Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within in you.  When Christ is in you, he is sovereign and he determines what is of value in our lives.  In Him are hidden ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Col. 2.3).  When Jesus is our Treasure, we are free from condemnation (Romans 81); we are children of God (Romans 8.16); we are filled with His Spirit, (Acts 2.4); we are free from bondage (John 8.32, 36); and we are heirs with Christ of all that God has planned for Him (Romans 8.17).

Stephen Curtis Chapman also wrote:

‘… And if I should live or die
Let me be found
Pursuing this prize
The One that alone satisfies
The treasure of Jesus’