| “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” |
| —Matthew 6:19-21 |
I have a beautiful photograph of my maternal grandmother as a teenager. What a treasure! I also have a Waterford crystal apple given to me by my music colleagues on the occasion of my retirement from teaching. Again, what a treasure! Once in awhile I take the opportunity to look at my various pieces of furniture, jewelry, dishes, photographs, and paintings that I consider true treasures and I marvel at these “things” that God has so graciously given me.
I don’t think Jesus was opposed to earthly treasures. But instead, He wants us to put them into proper perspective and use them as an illustration of the greater things He wants us to value. Even more than the way we take out our keepsakes and admire them, I believe He wants us to set aside the time, once in awhile, to admire the eternal treasures He gives us. Is there a better opportunity than during the Season of Lent for us to do just that?
Do you have familiar passages of Scripture that you memorized a long time ago, or learned as a child, but which have slipped into the background of your thinking? Why not take those Scripture passages out, dust them off, and reclaim them? For example, how long has it been since you have read and meditated on Psalm 23? Or, perhaps the Lord spoke to you and changed you through some other passage of Scripture that you haven’t looked at in some time. Take the time during the Season of Lent to read that passage in another translation, to study it verse by verse, word by word. If you do so, I believe you will discover that a treasure awaits you!
Another source, in my personal “glass case of memories,” comes through the hymns and spiritual songs that I have sung over and over throughout my lifetime. These hymns hold treasured phrases and living images of God’s truths. To review them brings me renewed blessing, challenges, gratitude, and love for my Lord.
If you journal your spiritual progress, like I do, the things that God teaches us daily, in our quiet time with Him, reveal a fortune of riches. I encourage you to join me in taking a look back through our journal entries. See how He has blessed us through the day-to-day revelation of His presence. The times He has met with us, answered prayer, and taught us about life with Him should truly make us rejoice in the treasures He has given to us.
So, I am suggesting that we all pull out the treasures we have stored in our hearts—treasures of Scriptures and spiritual songs, treasures of the day-to-day remembrances of His presence. We need to slowly turn them over in our minds and hearts, admiring the prized truths that bring our Savior closer and help us adore Him, the greatest Treasure of them all!
