Our oldest daughter had dreams of being an archaeologist when she was little. Those dreams changed over time and she is now in the United States Air Force. But her love of uncovering finds has never left her. One of her favorite shows? You guessed it, Antiques Road Show.
I think we all love those great finds. For some, it might be an old car that they have been searching for forever. Maybe it's that next baseball card to add to their collection. For me, I love finding a great bargin. I absolutely love going to resale shops and antique shops of all kinds. I think it's knowing how much something really cost and knowing how little you had to pay for it that really makes us giddy over those great finds.
An archaeologist doesn't really use their shovel a lot to over great treasures. It doesn't happen in a day, but over time. It is a slow process of uncovering bit by bit. It seems the more they uncover the more they realize just what treasure they have found. There is excitement in the air that leads to great testimonies of not giving up and moving forward slowly, taking their time and enjoying the dig.
They are excited over what they have uncovered and they are anticipating the great value of their find. One man's junk is another man's treasure, right? In watching the Antique Road Show, there are many things I look at and think, "What in the world? That is worth how much?"
For some, they are off to sell their great treasure. To them, it holds no value, except for what they are about to purchase with their great wealth now. For others, it doesn't matter how much it is worth, they wouldn't give their treasure away for any amount of money. They know real value. It isn't what profit they can earn, but the meaning behind the treasure. To them, the real treasure isn't what they can get for it, but what that treasure holds for them.
Have you ever found a great treasure? Treasures come in all shapes and sizes. We often think of material items as treasure, but what about uncovering a truth? What about finding a missing piece of our lives? A mother or father we have never met? The more we are unable to uncover about our lives the more we understand who we really are. There is great treasure in finding truth, isn't there?
The greatest treasure I have yet to find is uncovering who my Savior is. It isn't something I can purchase here on earth. It isn't something that I can pay for out of my own purse. Jesus Christ is that Treasure that holds true. He holds more value that anything this earth can offer. His value never decreases, but only increases with time. Time spent with Him.
People can dig for years trying to uncover treasure. They search for clues that lead them to the great finds. But just what if you had a map to the greatest treasure ever? What if it was the map of all maps? That map is your Bible. That's right, God's Word, is the map that will lead you to uncover more than your heart could have imagined. Just think of it. God's Word is the map that will lead you from this world into the next! Now, that is a pretty high tech map, isn't it? I don't know of any other map that can do that!
God's Word, points us to our Savior. It shows us how to not only live, but to have life ever lasting. Your not going to find that kind of treasure anywhere else. It gives us step by step instructions on how to live abundantly. Most importantly, how to find life with our Savior. There lies a treasure worth more than anything this world can offer. This treasure? Priceless! The amazing thing is that it is free to all those who search and find it.
The key to this treasure is Jesus Christ. He is the key that unlocks all that heaven holds. He is the key that leads us to the Father. Without Him, we are lost on our treasure hunt. Without Him we will always come up empty handed. Sure, we might find treasure that will last a while here on earth, but one day it will all disappear into rust and moth. Why not search for the treasure that is lasting?
"Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where theives break in and steal. 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 6:19-20
"My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands." Proverbs 2:1
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enought money to buy the field." Matthew 13:44
Great treasure lies far beyond what the eye can see.
"So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather we fix our gaze on theings that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we canot see will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:18
