Bible is full of hidden treasures

Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I went to the Goodwill the other day and bought a pair of long walking pants.

As I tried them on I noticed that there was this cool hidden pocket in the pants. I thought this hidden pocket would be a great place to hide my keys while I walk in the cool weather.

These pants reminded me of reading the Bible and how there are sometimes really cool hidden truths in God’s word for our lives. As we take a closer look at Gods word and get involved in reading the Bible we can find truths to help us everyday.

Today I encourage you to take a deeper look at Gods word as you read it. Don’t just take a surface glance but dig into it. You’ll find awesome truths that can change your life!

Dear Lord, we pray that our eyes would be open to the hidden truths that are in Your Word. Help us be diligent as we study Your Word. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Our home is in heaven! Let's head that way!

Colossians 1:4-5 (ESV)

4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel.

If you have ever visited Watkins Glen State Park in New York State, you were likely astounded by the sheer beauty surrounding you. Everything, from the gorge itself, to the plant life, to the numerous waterfalls, to the plentiful pools, speaks of unsurpassed splendor. Geologists call the park a "hanging valley". I think it would be better called the "Hanging Gardens" of New York State.

The numerous pools, created by rock and sand tumbling through the fast moving waters, look so inviting. What better place could there be to refresh yourself and enjoy summer to the fullest! Warning signs forbid visitors from even contemplating such a thing, however. Hidden dangers have cost the lives of more than one person who chose to ignore the warning. The strong undertow can quickly turn your "safe haven" into a pool of death.

Ironically, a railroad trestle spanning the top of Watkins Glen until 1935, was washed out by an unforeseen flood. It would seem that the warnings are warranted! That this "idealistic" garden is far from being safe after all!

Nevertheless, on a hot summer's day, can you just imagine yourself relaxing in one of those pools. Though the consequences could be lethal, they sure do look inviting!

But then, don't we routinely tend to relax in surroundings that seem "idealistic" but are really lethal?

As believers, we tend to take comfort in the fact that we attend church regularly, we get involved with church activities, and we receive the reassurance that we are doing well. But are we really? Are we really heading for heaven, or have we lost our true purpose? Has a strong undertow caught us off guard and driven us away from our real hope?

If we are heading heavenward, why do we tend to concentrate most of our attention on our puny, temporal existence? If we believe we are saved, why don't we talk more about our Savior? More about Heaven itself? If we pretend to be Christians, why are we not consumed with spending time with our Lord? Why don't we put our energies into planning our soon arrival in heaven?

Is it possible we have lost our hope?

So many of us go through life's ups and downs, getting excited by the most mundane things, but becoming indifferent to talk about Spiritual things. Have we lost our excitement at the prospect of spending eternity with our Maker? Have we somehow wondered off the path?

Richard Wurmbrandt was persecuted in Romanian prisons for years because of his faith. When he was finally released, he found shelter in the Western World. His first remarks about North America were far from being flattering: "You don't have communism here, you have something far worse. You have materialism!"

Have we been lulled to sleep by the comforts of our material world? Is this possibly why divorce rates, even among Christians, are on the rise? Is this why so many lead defeated lives, even though Jesus has set us free?

Is Jesus still our focus? Is He still the only One who can excite us to the core? Is He the One we still long to spend time with? Has something come between us? Have we been towed away from our Loved One by the deadly undercurrents of our materialistic world? Is it any wonder that depression has invaded our ranks? Have we completely lost our focus?

Our hope must not be stored up in the pleasures of this planet. These are nothing compared to what God has in store for us!

Dear Lord, thank You for the home You have for us. Help us not store up the treasures here on Earth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Where Moth and Rust Destroy

Matthew 6:19 (NIV)

 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

Amanda Reece hired a former high school classmate, Bob Kitts, for a remodeling project in her 83-year-old home near Lake Erie in Ohio. As Kitts was tearing out the bathroom walls in the home, he discovered two green metal lockboxes suspended inside a wall below the medicine chest. Inside the boxes were white envelopes with the return address for “P. Dunne News Agency.” Inside the envelopes was $182,000 in Depression-era currency. Patrick Dunne, a wealthy businessman, apparently hid the money in the wall during the difficult time period of the Depression.

What was done with the money?

Kitts and Reece couldn’t agree on how to split the money. Reece offered 10 percent; Kitts wanted 40 percent.

One month after the money was reported in the local newspaper, descendants of Patrick Dunne filed a lawsuit for their share of the find. The courts ruled that twenty-one of Dunne’s descendants will each receive a small share. By then there was little left to claim.

Reece testified in a deposition that she spent about $14,000 on a trip to Hawaii and had sold some of the rare late 1920s bills. She also said that about $60,000 was stolen from a shoebox in her closet but she never reported the theft to police. Kitts said Reece accused him of stealing the money and left several threatening phone messages.

Reece also declared that she was considering bankruptcy and that a bank recently foreclosed on one of her properties.

From the events surrounding the discover of this “hidden treasure,” it is no wonder that the details of the story were revealed in an Associated Press article entitled, “Cash Found in Ohio House’s Walls Becomes Nightmare.”

The words of Jesus address the situation: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on EARTH, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). Paul’s inspired commentary also seems fitting: “For the love of money is the root of all evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greed, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Instead of laying up treasures on earth where thieves steal and greedy people fight over fleeting treasures, Jesus said we should: “lay up for yourselves treasures in HEAVEN” (Matthew 6:20). These heavenly treasures are the REAL treasures. But they are hidden from the view of those who focus only on EARTHLY treasures.

Sin disqualifies us from receiving those treasures... but Jesus died on the cross so that we might have the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7) and eternal “treasures” in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-5).

These eternal treasures await those who: believe in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).

EARTHLY treasures are fleeting and often mixed with strife! Why not focus on lasting, ETERNAL treasures that come only through a relationship with Christ.

Dear Lord, help us keep our focus upon the eternal treasure You have for each one of us. Help us not get all wrapped up with the things of this world and make them more important then You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Are You Throwing Away Treasures?

2 Corinthians 4:8 (New International Version)

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.

I remember reading a story once about a man who was exploring some caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled up some clay and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man so he took the bag out of the cave with him.

As he strolled along the beach, to pass the time, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could throw. He thought little about it until he dropped one of the balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone. Excited the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found hundreds of dollars’ worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left, then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of hundreds of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home thousands, but he just threw it away.

You know sometimes, it's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it, we see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person by God.

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. The Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I don't think he means just our physical bodies. I think he means our spiritual selves, which are sometimes hidden from others by the "earthen vessel." But if you take the time to get to know that person, and if you ask the Father to show you that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.

Don't come to the end of your life and find out that you threw away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay.

Dear Lord, let us see the people we come in contact with today as you see them. We pray that we would look for the treasure in them. In Jesus’  Amen.

Are You Laying up Your Treasures in Heaven?

A rock hound named Rob Cutshaw owns a little roadside shop outside Andrews, North Carolina. Like many in the trade, he hunts for rocks, then sells them to collectors or jewelry makers. He knows enough about rocks to decide which to pick up and sell, but he's no expert. He leaves the appraising of his rocks to other people. As much as he enjoys the work, it doesn't always pay the bills. He occasionally moonlights, cutting wood to help put bread on the table.

While on a dig twenty years ago, Rob found a rock he described as "purdy and big." He tried unsuccessfully to sell the specimen, and according to the Constitution, kept the rock under his bed or in his closet. He guessed the blue chunk could bring as much as $500 dollars, but he would have taken less if something urgent came up like paying his power bill. That's how close Rob came to hawking for a few hundred dollars what turned out to be the largest, most valuable sapphire ever found. The blue rock that Rob had abandoned to the darkness of a closet two decades ago -- now known as "The Star of David" sapphire -- weighs nearly a pound, and could easily sell for $2.75 million.

As nice is it is to have the Earthly treasures we need to keep our focus on doing the things that last forever in His kingdom

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 6:20-21 (New Living Translation)

Dear Lord we pray that we will always keep in mind that our true treasure is in heaven. Help us to be able to balance the things that are important. In Jesus’ Name, Amen