The Pleasure and Pressure of Treasure

UV 1127-10,000 The Pleasure and Pressure of Treasure

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, whereneither moth and rust destroy,and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6 v20

A treasure can be a source of both great pleasure as well as pressure. For many people, their pleasure is their treasure. For some, it is their accumulated wealth. For still others, it is their talent, fame or power. Jesus asks us to store spiritual treasures that are durable and stay with us through all eternity. We need to store our treasures in our hearts where no one can take it away from. It becomes burglar-proof. It is a life-saver, a life-enricher, a life-enhancer. A treasure is something of great value. It is a source of strength and confidence. It is something that can sustain us through difficult times. It can get us whatever we need or desire. The treasures of this world deteriorate in value. These are susceptible to rust, decay and can be a source of trouble as others will aim to steal it from us. Recently, I heard about a man who had a precious diamond ring as a family heirloom. He wanted to sell it and he made it known by taking it to jewellers to have it valued. It ended in tragedy as some criminals murdered him with the intent of stealing it from him.

The Word of God, the promises, warnings, commands and counsel it contains is eternal treasure that we can store in our hearts and minds. It becomes our source of strength and confidence. It can sustain us through periods of drought, famine and persecution. It can be the key to our every need being satisfied. Natural and human factors cannot affect our faith. Nobody can steal our faith. The Word will teach us to be successful and victorious. It can accompany us wherever we go. We will be greatly blessed. The Word we store in our hearts will keep us from sin and temptations. The Word we store in our minds will give us new ideas and prompt us to take wise decisions and choices. The treasure will not itself turn into a source of curse or tragedy in our lives. The treasure itself can prove to be a snare for our souls. When Gideon after the great victories he led Israel to, asked the people of Israel to contribute a piece of gold like an earring each and then, used the collected gold to build an ephod that became a snare to his family and his people.

The good we do to people to reflect the grace and love of God is another eternal treasure for which we will be rewarded in eternity. When we give to the poor, we are lending to the Lord and storing treasure in heaven that is lasting. It is said that our homes or mansions in heaven are built out of the good deeds we do on earth. The word “ Earth” is composed of two syllables-ear and th. We need to use our ears to hear the Word of God. When we look at the structure of our ears, we see how it acts as a funnel to collect all sound and channel it into the inner ears. Then the sound is conveyed to the human brain that assigns different meanings to the various sounds we hear. We need to then Think about the meanings of these sounds, its applications to our daily lives. As we think and meditate on the inner meanings of these words or sounds, the treasures of truth and eternal life are being stored and stacked up in our hearts and minds. Once it is stored in our inmost beings, it creates a transformation of our thoughts, feelings, speech and actions. Such eternal treasures are not inert but interact with the rest of our lives and make us stronger, better and more effective.

Prateep V Philip