Treasures

"My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart

 and united in love,

so that they may have the full riches

 of complete understanding,

in order that they may know the mystery of God,

namely, Christ,

in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom

 and knowledge.

I tell you this so that no one may deceive you

by fine-sounding arguments.

For though I am absent from you in body,

I am present with you in spirit and delight to see

how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is."

Colossians 2:2-5

Finding buried treasure has always been a great dream of mine.  As a kid, I would daydream about wandering around in the woods and stumbling upon a treasure map that would lead me to find a great chest of gold buried under ground.  I would think about how I would spend the money. . . yes, it would be great to find such a treasure.

As a follower of Christ, however, I do have a treasure through Christ that is much more valuable than gold.  This treasure cannot buy me possessions, trips or luxury of any kind.  Instead, it is the riches of God's wisdom and knowledge that offers something of eternal worth.

Complete Understanding

They always say if you want to really understand a topic, teach it.  There is nothing like preparing to lead a class that tests your knowledge and pushes you to greater understanding.  While this kind of intellectual understanding is important, it cannot be applied to my walk with Christ.  In God's kingdom, being unified with Christ and His body, the church, and keeping a godly attitude leads to a different kind of insight; a kind of discernment that helps me to trust God even though I don't fully comprehend the purpose or plan for a certain situation.

Oswald Chambers sheds some light on this concept when he talked about the partnership between faith and obedience.  He said, "Faith is not intelligent understanding, faith is deliberate commitment to a Person where I see no way."  Whether or not I go where God is leading me has everything to do with my allegiance to Him and my belief that He is a God who will do right by me.  

In this way, I gain the riches of complete understanding as I fully embrace His role as Shepherd and mine as loyal, dependent sheep.  Appreciating God's sovereign nature means I give up my desire to know the details and instead leave it all in His hands.  Instead of leaning on my own understanding, I comprehend the fact that God is in control and then show it through my actions.

One of the treasures I gain through Christ is the ability to walk in the light with the full knowledge that His character will not allow Him to fail in His task of guiding me.

Know God

He used such cryptic language and puzzling phrases.  The small band of men knew they loved their leader, but the things that were coming out of his mouth were just plain mysterious.  Jesus told His disciples He was leaving but that they could not go with Him.  Then He said He was preparing a place for them, but that they would come later and that they know the way to where he is going. When Thomas asked for clarification, Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life.  Huh?  (John 13:36-14:6)

There is no doubt that the ways of God are mysterious. (Isaiah 45:5) The awesome thing about growing closer in relation to God through faith in Jesus Christ is that He gives us the opportunity to know Him!  (Romans 12:2, Philippians 3:10)  As I read His word, He reveals nuggets of wisdom, opening my eyes to the truth found there. (2 Timothy 3:16)  Walking with Him as I grow through the struggles of life gives me the chance to experience His compassionate comfort, His strength that holds me up and a feeling of peace that makes no sense. (2 Corinthians 1:3, Psalm 46:1,  Philippians 4:6-7)

Another of the treasures I gain through Christ is the chance to discover the mysterious ways of a holy God who loves me.

Protection

It sounded too good to be true.  Every day could feel like a Friday, with that joyous anticipation of the weekend soon to come if only I would reprogram my mind to think positively and choose happiness.  The problem with this philosophy, is that it places the burden of change upon me, a sinful human with a heart blackened by sin.

As a follower of Christ, my main goal in life is to glorify God in the way I live.  Instead of focusing on how I can be happy and comfortable, I want to pay attention to submitting myself to Him as He chisels away all selfish desires until He is all I want.  He can only get the glory for my positive attitude if it is a work of His hand in my yielded life, not when it is simply as a result of my own effort.

If I want to stand strong for the truth of the Gospel, I need some protection against carefully crafted teachings that sound good and appeal to my flesh, but that stand in opposition to God's ways.

I am easily deceived when I use my own mind to decipher the dozens of messages that bombard my consciousness on a daily basis.  If I instead use the treasure of the wisdom and knowledge that comes through Christ, trusting Him to show me which principles are from Him and which are not, then I will fall under His protective wing.

One of the most important treasures I gain through Christ is the protection of His discernment to help me stand against the deceptive teachings that are so intriguing to my flesh.

I may not have a treasure map with the promise of untold wealth, but I do have the riches of God through faith in Christ at my disposal.  There is the complete understanding of the heart that spurs my faith on, the opportunity to know a God whose ways are so much higher than my own, and a measure of protection against all the fine-sounding philosophies that inundate my consciousness.  With these kind of treasures, what more could I want?

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep my eyes on the treasure chest of Christ instead of the wealth of this world.

When am I easily deceived by teachings that don't glorify God?

How do I not trust God because I haven't made a commitment to Jesus?