Treasure: Trading What's Temporary for What Lasts

Written by Faith Schiller

Day 1: What is Your Treasure?

Did you have a favorite toy or stuffed animal as a child? Mine was a pink, ratty Piglet stuffie my half-brother gave me when I turned three. From the time I was little, I took immaculate care of that Piglet, ensuring it was never left behind or mishandled by other kids. I cared a lot about Piglet as a child; you might say Piglet was something I treasured.

As I have grown, the treasures in my life have grown, too, from a favorite stuffie to things like relationships, money, success, and education. The list probably looks different for each of us. While these new treasures might be inherently good things, sometimes the things we prize more than others have a way of shaping our life experiences in harmful ways. So we need to pause and ask, "What treasures am I orienting my life around?"

The concept of treasure as something we value, guard, collect, and protect runs deeply throughout Scripture. In Proverbs, wisdom is often referred to as a treasure. The book of Daniel describes "the hidden things of God" as treasure. But the New Testament marries these concepts together when, in Colossians, the apostle Paul refers to the mystery of God as "the treasure of wisdom and knowledge." So, we begin to see that a biblical understanding of treasure has less to do with physical value and more to do with eternal significance. Biblical treasure draws us deeper into the mystery of understanding God and being in His presence.

Let us pause there and reflect on the things we treasure in our lives. While it might be hard to name exactly what we treasure, consider what draws you in, what you value most, and what you orient your life around. The pursuit of treasure has the ability to dramatically shape our lives, so knowing what we value really matters!

Reflection:

Watch this video, Treasure, and consider what treasures you orient your life around:

Make a list of two or three things that have high value in your life, and spend some time thinking through the potential positive and negative outcomes from orienting your life around those things.

For you, what would it mean to take a step toward treasuring things with eternal significance?