Thought for Today
Psalm 119:11 I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.
Proverbs 15:6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
Matthew 6:20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
2 Timothy 1:13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
For some reason I do not understand, the word treasure was on my mind this morning when I woke up. Not some metaphorical usage, but treasure. My mind was imagining 17th century wooden chests with iron bands and hasps, large padlocks and huge keys. Buried treasure on some remote Caribbean island, or maybe on some remote island off the coast of Maine. Maybe those thoughts were the result of the email I received yesterday advertising some show on one of the streaming services; a show about a fictional pirate.
Some of us, in our youth, dressed up as pirates for Halloween. It was a simple, inexpensive costume, demanding only a kerchief to tie around one’s head, an eye patch and an old, raggedy shirt, often ‘borrowed’ from one’s father.
“The 1935 film "Captain Blood," directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn, is based on Rafael Sabatini's 1922 novel of the same name, closely following its plot and themes. . . ‘Captain Blood’ is a swashbuckling adventure film that tells the story of Dr. Peter Blood, and Irish physician wrongfully convicted of treason during the Monmouth Rebellion in England.” (Bing search) I remember seeing that movie on television many years ago. Swashbuckling adventure films stir the heartbeats of many young boys . . . and young girls. Swashbuckling sounds like great fun.
For most of us, however, at some point, reality rears its ugly head. Watching Errol Flynn swing a cutlass looks very dramatic. It also looks very exhausting. The fact that cutlass dueling is not a popular sport, nor is it offered as a college major, suggests that pirating is not a viable career option for most folks today.
The Bible talks about a very different sort of treasure. Not treasure locked up inside a buried chest. Rather, treasure stored up inside our hearts. Not treasure comprised of jewels, golden goblets and Spanish doubloons, pieces of eight. Rather the Greek παραθήκη, something that has been entrusted to another for faithful keeping, or θησαυρὸς, a place for storing valuables or the valuables themselves.
Jesus talked about treasure. Not in the Errol Flynn swashbuckling sense, but in the idea of what has been given to us, entrusted to us for faithful keeping. Jesus even contrasted the different kind of treasures for us, “6:19 treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal,” compared to “20 treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
In our modern society which values conspicuous consumption and ostentatious consumerism, the whole concept of “treasures in heaven” seems counterintuitive and maybe even counterproductive. But, Jesus knew the truth of our humanity. The truth that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I have not enumerated exactly what those “treasures in heaven” actually are. “6:33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness . . .” How do we do that? There are a number of verses I regularly cite. These are the verses I recall to help me understand what those “treasures in heaven” actually are. Verses including Micah 6:8, Luke 10:27, John 3:16-17, Ephesians 2:8 and James 2:26.
Take some time today to ponder on your own treasures. Think about your own list of scriptures that help you understand how much God has done for you and how much God has entrusted to you.
Stay safe, be thankful, trust God,
Pastor Ray