What if the treasure you think you’ve found in life really isn’t a treasure at all?
Some years ago, I was given several pieces of art that were about fifty years old. I was excited because, as a person with zero art knowledge, I thought they might be worth a few bucks. For a young father of four at the time, any money was a big deal, and Christmas wasn’t too far off.
I called an art dealer to come to take a look at what I had. When he showed up, he looked carefully at every piece, rubbed his chin, sighed deeply, and said, “I’m sorry to tell you this, but your pieces aren’t worth anything. They are hotel art.”
How many times have you treasured something that had zero value?
If you’re going to treasure anything this Christmas, you need to have a heart that treasures Christmas. Here’s why.
Your heart represents your life.
Jesus said, “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” (Luke 6:43-45)
What’s in your heart? The quickest way to tell is by looking at what’s coming out of your life.
Jesus teaches us, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” (Mark 7:20-23)
You can often tell what’s in a person’s heart by looking at their checkbook and calendar. Those two things often represent the makeup of a person’s life. So what does yours look like?
Another great “fruit” to look at is your words. What you say is an excellent barometer of what’s rooted in your heart. So spend the day keeping track of your conversations, even those you have with yourself. It will tell you where the treasure of your heart is.
If the treasure of your heart is wrong, it’s time to make a change.
Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44)
In this short parable, Jesus compares you to the man in the field, the field is the world, and Jesus is the priceless treasure that is found. The question is, are you going to dig for it, and what will you do when you find the treasure of Christmas, Jesus?
Will you do whatever it takes, forsaking all other treasures of this world so you can have what’s most important?
There’s going to come to a point in your life where, at the core of your being, you choose what’s most important. Jesus is teaching us here that He is the treasure you’ve been looking for. Is he going to be your greatest treasure and your life’s joy?
“My goal is that you may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that you may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that you may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:2-3)
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