Treasure

What is something that you treasure? When I was a young boy I used to study the Canadian Tire catalogue when it came out, looking at the pages of bikes. I would jump at any chance to go with my dad up to the store so that I could wander over to sporting goods section and look at the bikes up close. I wanted a new bike so badly! I didn’t want to have anymore hand-me-down bikes — I wanted my own, brand new bike! The spring before my 11th birthday I got a job delivering newspapers and I started saving up. I kept watching the sales and watching my bank account, waiting for the two to finally meet, until one day almost a year later it happened! I had enough! My dad took me up to the store, I handed over my hard-earned cash, and took possession of my first set of wheels. And even though there were still snowbanks almost as high as me, and the streets were covered in potholes and puddles, I rode the bike home with a huge grin on my face!

I don’t have the bike anymore. I sold it a few years later for $30. By that time I’d already moved on to my next bike, a mountain bike. And when I sold it I hadn’t ridden it for almost a year. It’s amazing how something that captivates and enthralls us, something that we can’t stop thinking about, can one day just be traded away or tossed aside. As people we are incredibly changeable, and our likes/dislikes or needs/wants seem to change with the seasons! What is one day our treasure is the next day our trash.

Jesus spoke about what we value and treasure. Once when He was teaching on a mountainside He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin 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). If our focus is on, and our joy is found in the things of this world we will never be satisfied. But if we find our satisfaction in Jesus alone then we will be truly satisfied and have peace — peace now and for eternity.

This coming Sunday we’re going to finish our series on the Body of Christ looking at our inheritance, the promise of our future glory with God. For while we might enjoy God’s grace and peace and presence right now, we know that this is only a small taste of the joy that is to come.

Pastor Mike