What should we consider treasure in our life? Something that will fade away like earthy possessions? Or something that is guaranteed to be eternal and forever? When I look up the meaning of treasure, it translates the meaning to precious valuables, something you hold close to you, something you see as a prize and something you think very highly of. In Matthew 6:19-21(NIV) Jesus says – Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus tells us to store treasures in heaven, where it is eternal and forever. Jesus talks about treasures but what are these treasure and where are they found? These questions bring me to what I would like to talk about in this topic. The treasures we have in Heaven because of Jesus.
From the day that you accepted Him into your life as Lord and Savior, there are treasures from your salvation that you can access. Jesus opened the way for us to have these treasures. Ephesians talks about this. Ephesians 1:3 TPT says- “Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!”. Here it talks about how God has blessed us with everything we need as a gift from our wonderful heavenly Father because He sees us in Jesus. In Romans 8:17 TPT it says – “And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that he is and all that he has. We will experience being co-glorified with him provided that we accept his sufferings as our own.” How amazing is this! We have been qualified to share God’s treasures because we are now joined with Jesus!
I want to share a story with you, about a man who went on a cruise trip to sail across the Mediterranean Sea. He had a lifelong dream of being able to visit Malta, Greece and Turkey. He saved for many years for this trip until one day, in his old age, he had enough money for his trip. Since he already was tight on finances, he brought with him 1 extra suitcase just to fill up with lots of food like beans, crackers, powder lemonade drink so that he can live on these foods everyday.
When he went on the cruise, he looked at all the activities offered in the ship, like access to the gym, playing golf, swimming in the pool and the movie theatre. Every time he walked past the dining room for food he saw row and rows of all kinds of food, food fit for a King and he wished he could afford the food. “If only I can get 1 day to enjoy everything available on this cruise, how amazing it would be” he thought to himself. Because he wanted to see the countries he was traveling to, he didn’t want to spend money on these things and so for the most part of his trip, he stayed in his cabin on the ship and ate his beans, crackers and mixed his powder drinks with water to make lemonade.
On the last day of his cruise, one of the staff members on the cruise ship asked him what farewell party he was going to attend. Only when he was talking to this staff member did he realize that everything on the ship – the food, the entertainment and all other activities were included in the price he paid for the ticket! The man realized this on his very last day, that he had been living way below than the privileges given to him.
I share this parable with you to come to this point – The Bible tells us that we are heirs of salvation, and that we have treasures in Jesus. Our biggest treasure will always be Jesus Himself, that we are now intimately connected to God and we are One in the Spirit with Him. Along with that, there are many treasure Jesus has purchased for us. Are we going to live in those privileges or do we want to realize only in heaven that the Father has given us all things through His Son Jesus? God has given us so much along with salvation, such as healing, deliverance, authority, the fruit of the Spirit and much more. When I first read this while reading the Bible, it really impacted me deeply and I began to be hungry to know what my treasures from God are, I want to access all of them, because it already belongs to me!
We can settle for far below our privileges or we can partake in the abundance that Jesus has purchased for us all. This belongs to us because it is already paid for by Jesus’s blood and sacrifice. We live in a time that scriptures and sermons are more easily accessible than any time in the history of the world. What a privilege we have to be able to access the Word of God so easily! Yet, to go further and pursue God is our own choice to make. What do you want to consider treasure in your life? Something that will fade away like earthy possessions? Or something that is guaranteed to be eternal and forever? The Bible tells us to store treasures in heaven. I encourage you to know what belongs to you by reading the Word and seeking God fervently. And to have the desire to enjoy all the treasures we have in Jesus.