This week at our Lenten Bible study, we looked Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and how there was a focus on obtaining treasures. In the opening scene of the movie (see link), Dr. Jones (Indy, for those who know him well) is risking bodily harm moving through a booby-trapped jungle and into a dangerous maze of tunnels, just to get to a golden idol. He wants the idol for the purposes of turning it in to a museum, and mostly likely also just loves the adventure of it. After successfully grabbing the golden idol, he must run for his life, away from all the danger falling around him.Yet in the end, the golden idol that he almost died retrieving, is taken away from him by the evil Dr. Belloq. Indy barely escapes with his life intact. What a picture of Jesus’ message about storing up treasures on earth.
"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (Mat 6:19-21, The Message)
What kind of time do we human creatures put into obtaining treasures? Whether they are good or bad, useful or not, we still spend huge amounts of time gathering in our stockpile of treasures: money, new clothes, vacations, car, the latest tech gadget, relationships with family or friends, time spent on hobbies… (add your own list here). Is money evil? No, but the love of it is “the root of all evil” (1 Tim 6:10 KJV). Are new clothes a no-no? No. They are quite necessary at times, but making them the center of your being pushes other great possibilities out of your reach.
Wait though, what about relationships with people? Isn’t that a good thing? Absolutely. We should spend quality and quantity time building and nurturing relationships with others. But how often do we put those relationships above building and nurturing our relationship with God? (e.g. “I’ll pray later, God. I’m watching TV tonight with my spouse.” “I’ll read your word later, Jesus. I’m busy reading another novel with my child.”) Again, not that those things are wrong, that is until we let it totally replace our time with God, justifying it as “family time” or “me time.” Can family or “me” time not include spiritual acts of prayer, reading the Bible, or having a lively discussion about faith? Why do we separate our waking moments into “church moments” and “everything else”, carefully keeping our life divided into sacred and secular categories?
What are the treasures in your life? Which need to become less treasured? What “things” do you think you treasure, but spend little, if any, time on? If God is our greatest treasure, how do we honor Him? I encourage you to spend time seeking the greatest treasure, a relationship with God, who created you, loves you, and offers you His grace and mercy that restores and recreates us in ways beyond our imagination.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. (Psalm 62:5 NIV)
"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (Mat 6:19-21, The Message)
What kind of time do we human creatures put into obtaining treasures? Whether they are good or bad, useful or not, we still spend huge amounts of time gathering in our stockpile of treasures: money, new clothes, vacations, car, the latest tech gadget, relationships with family or friends, time spent on hobbies… (add your own list here). Is money evil? No, but the love of it is “the root of all evil” (1 Tim 6:10 KJV). Are new clothes a no-no? No. They are quite necessary at times, but making them the center of your being pushes other great possibilities out of your reach.
Wait though, what about relationships with people? Isn’t that a good thing? Absolutely. We should spend quality and quantity time building and nurturing relationships with others. But how often do we put those relationships above building and nurturing our relationship with God? (e.g. “I’ll pray later, God. I’m watching TV tonight with my spouse.” “I’ll read your word later, Jesus. I’m busy reading another novel with my child.”) Again, not that those things are wrong, that is until we let it totally replace our time with God, justifying it as “family time” or “me time.” Can family or “me” time not include spiritual acts of prayer, reading the Bible, or having a lively discussion about faith? Why do we separate our waking moments into “church moments” and “everything else”, carefully keeping our life divided into sacred and secular categories?
What are the treasures in your life? Which need to become less treasured? What “things” do you think you treasure, but spend little, if any, time on? If God is our greatest treasure, how do we honor Him? I encourage you to spend time seeking the greatest treasure, a relationship with God, who created you, loves you, and offers you His grace and mercy that restores and recreates us in ways beyond our imagination.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. (Psalm 62:5 NIV)
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