Better Than Buried Treasure
As a boy, my fantasy filled mind thrilled at the thought of thousands of gold coins- in a heavy wood chest-secured against theft with a big padlock-buried in the sand under a palm tree on an island.” And there was a map. The map had an X on it. The X was by the palm tree on the island.
Neither of us have ever found a real treasure map. But there is a treasure for both of us.
Today Jesus tells us there IS a treasure-a real treasure. And He gives us the location of the treasure. No map needed! Think of it. A treasure-your treasure-my treasure. Riches!
Every word of Jesus is truth. This is what Jesus tells us about treasure-
““Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Luke 12:32-34
Let me repeat what Jesus said one truth fact at a time:
1. God is pleased to give us His Kingdom! (A KINGDOM-Not just an old box with some coins!)
2. Because there is a treasure in heaven set aside for us- we are to hold loosely to everything we have here on earth…and be generous to those who have needs. (God is always generous-we have no idea what the magnitude of His gift of heavenly treasure to us WILL BE.) I believe God’s heavenly treasure to us will take our breath away and leave us speechless on our knees in joy.
3. There probably were pirate treasure chests. What happened? Thieves stole as many as they could find. If they weren’t found, the wood rotted, storms washed the sand and treasure to the bottom of the sea. Treasure was lost forever.
*No thief, no decay…nothing can take away the treasure Jesus has prepared in heaven for those who believe in Him.*
We can let go of all the earthly things we call treasure-none of them go with us when we die. Earthly things are not treasure.
Let me say: We KNOW where the treasure is! We were made for heaven. At our earthly death those of us who believe in Jesus move to life forever in the treasure filled kingdom Jesus has prepared for us.
There is nothing that compares to this truth. No human can make a promise like this.
*Photo credit: Levi Nordlund (grandson)