“TREASURE THE TREASURE”
Luke 2:19; Matthew 6:21
“Mary treasured all these things and reflected (ponder) on them in her heart.” (NiV)
“but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.” (NLT)
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
(Matthew 6:19-21)
The wise men from the east paid visit to the Child as they were guided by the eastern Star bringing with them prophetic gifts on what the Child would become. The Shepherds had heard the angelic message, paid their visit to the Holy Family, had seen the Infant Jesus and returned to their flocks, excitedly proclaiming the Good News as they went their way. As for Mary, her simple life had suddenly become miraculously spectacular, complicated and she needed time to take it all in. So she "treasured all these things," Luke writes, and "reflected on them in her heart." The NLT version says that “She thought about them often.” Perhaps the rest of her earthly life... A treasure in her heart.
Modern men and women whose lives have become too full and too fast have the same need to treasure and reflect. We need time to feel. We need time to think. After an event has jolted us or brought excitement to our lives, we need to ask ourselves, what was the meaning of that experience? Where do I go from here? As 2018 would come to a close let us treasure, reflect, ponder, think what had God had done for us this year. It will surely serve as a lesson, a treasure to hold and keep in our hearts. Reflection is difficult to do in a crowd. What we need in order to sort things out are solitude and silence. Such significant experiences could never occur except in times of quiet aloneness.
Mary was not the one to go around and tell people about how great she was, and how much God had blessed her. Instead, she just kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. And God used the Angelic visitation of Gabriel and praising angels, the wise men from the east, the shepherds to tell the world until now about Mary and her newborn babe.
Are there any treasure worth keeping in our hearts? The gifts and abilities which God has given us? The adventures of 2018, good or bad are jewels, the character flaws and mistakes and changes we have accepted are treasures we have to cherish. Of course we do. All of us does. Great and incredible changes, transformation, abilities and gifts we discovered which will do astounding things from God for us this 2019. But God does not want us to go around bragging about what He has given us. Instead, like Mary and Joseph, let us all quietly and humbly accept whatever position and privilege God has placed us in, and as we prove ourselves faithful with a little, He will give us more in the coming days ahead. Let us not blow our own horn. Let God blow it for us in His own perfect timing.
Paul writes in Philippians 2 that we should be like Christ, and I suppose we could say let’s be like Mary and Joseph, for making themselves of no reputation, acting like a servant to everybody, and humbling themselves to the greatest extent possible. And as a result, God highly exalted them and raised them up. Jesus was lifted above every name, in heaven and on earth, and before Him, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We too, humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift us up in due time. Not that we wanted it, but this is the way God moves among His chosen ones.
Isn’t this a spectacular lesson? Joseph and Mary’s trials and troubles were overwhelming. They could even point the finger, if they had wanted to, at that selfish emperor, Caesar Augustus. But they didn’t. They didn’t become bitter, they became better. All of the suffering, inconvenience, and discomfort caused by the decree of Caesar was actually the loving hand of God working things out to accomplish His purposes in His own way for them.
And so, let us begin to treasure and ponder “those things of 2018”.
To ponder means to think about something carefully in your head -- to weigh it in your mind. It implies a serious process of mental activity – a careful consideration of all the factors involved. But what does it mean to ponder something in your heart? The original Greek text uses both the word that we translate into “ponder” and the word for “heart” in the same sentence. “Ponder” in the Greek suggests not just considering but also trying to put things together. But doing it in the “heart” gives an important emotional overlay to this process. To ponder in our heart is to try to feel it out as well as to think it out. It’s a kind of wholistic contemplative response.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
(Matthew 6:21)
In these verses we find three treasure principles. If we understand these principles, it’ll help us make sense of the choices and decisions we make every day beginning now and for the coming years ahead. Just like Mary, it prepared her for the coming days ahead Jesus is with her. So simple and so easy to remember and it would be powerful once we live it day by day.
1- YOUR TREASURE DEVELOPS YOU:
These thoughts became a treasure to Mary. It was to be made visible and manifestedly develop the scenes in her mind first, finding rationality, which is naturally impossible, and then “rhemaed” in her heart and became a living Word... lived in her heart, from now on, all things would be possible. Her famous dialogue in Luke 1 verse 34 “Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?”(AMP). These are events beginning to develop in her especially when she agreed with the angel with these words; “...be it unto me according to thy “Word”. And the angel departed from her. (KJV) She got the message! Beginning that time, the Word from eternity came into our own earthly existence .... and THE WORD BECAME FLESH! Christ is taking shape in her womb. The evidence is in the succeeding verses of Luke’s narrative, neatly tucked in those words.... “And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;” (Luke 1:39 KJV) Why with haste? Why hurry to her cousin Elizabeth? Because her monthly period no longer arrived! She’s pregnant! THE TREASURE HAD LITERALLY DEVELOP IN HER! IMMANUEL HAS COME! Her tummy in the succeeding months ahead would become bigger and bigger. No one would ask her if she’s pregnant. Everybody who’ll see it would not ask what’s inside of her! She’s pregnant. THE TREASURE IS DEVELOPING WITHIN HER! Thank God for this treasure too wonderful for words!
This is the same treasure when we first heard the Word. We find reason that it can not happen in our life. Who would believe an addict be transformed by the Word. A way ward father going back to His family.
(1 Timothy 1:15) With this treasure in us? NOTHING WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE. Just like Mary, no one notices an Embryo growing in her. Like us, No one’s cognizant of the inner promptings of the “voice” within us. Developing in us a desire and the Power to change. With man, it is not possible... but as the Treasure develops, nothing would be impossible! Let us brace ourselves for the impossible.
2- YOUR TREASURE DEFINES YOU:
Human beings don’t live by instinct. We were created to decide. From the Garden until now we decide for ourselves. This is the image of God that is within us. But when Adam and Eve fell from sin, condemnation sets in. This Treasure will not condemn us but convict us to do good. From development to definition of this treasure, it will mark everyone how each one will be employed with this precious possession in our hearts. Just like King David defined himself with a delight in his heart, in Acts 13:36 “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God...” Each one of us, when we received Jesus in our hearts, would start a life of definition. Mary, the sister of Martha, had chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Our treasure inside of us would define us. Mary, the mother of Jesus had determined and identified herself as the handmaid of the Lord and that essential quality brought forth meaning to her, and defines her as a human in comparison to the immensity of such glory within her.
Animals survive on instinct, but we live by value systems, goals, and hopes and dreams. We identify people, objects, locations, and ideas as important, and then we live in pursuit of those treasures.
My treasures are: my loving wife, my children, serving the church, the congregation, relationships, telling others about Jesus. I do treasure those things, but I also treasure self-control; I treasure being right; I treasure comfort; I treasure accomplishment. Treasure people first before things. Treasure morality and values. Treasure the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Treasure these for it will surely define our earthly life. All of these are good, but it would be nothing except that the “real Treasure” be within us, in our hearts. It would develop in us and it would define us.
2. YOUR TREASURE DOMINATE YOU:
“where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
- So when Jesus speaks of “where your treasure is” He means that the whole of our being is wrapped up in our treasures. Our hearts will be upon what we treasure most. Let us have the example of Mary that she pondered what had happened, so that in the succeeding days of her life, she knows what to do. For out of the abundance of her heart, her mouth speaks of the Treasure!
In other words, where we invest our treasure will determine where we set our affections. It is not so much that our treasure follows our hearts as it is that our hearts follow our treasure.
Where the treasure is there the value and esteem are, there the love and affection are (Colossians 3:2 ); that way the desires that develops and the way it develops defines and we pursue it as engulfs our inner being... just what Paul had said in Acts, “for in Him, we live and move and have our being.... “ we are now dominated by the Treasure in our Hearts! In other words, what we invest in we are committed to. The things we treasure actually govern our lives. What we value occupies our minds and grips our emotions. It is the theme and content of our conversation of our hearts. It consumes our time with planning, day-dreaming, and energy to achieve. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The thing or persons that we‘ve named as treasure will control our hearts and the treasure that controls our hearts will control our words and behaviors. If we’ve named something or someone as treasure in our lives, it’ll dominate us. Where is your treasure?” In asking this, we will answer the question “Where is our heart?” because where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. The second question to ask ourselves is: “Where is our focus?” What are our eyes focused on? It will dominate us.
Treasure Develops.
Heart Definition.
Focus Domination.
CONCLUSION:
What’s your treasure?
If you’re a husband and a father and you treasure your alone time, you’ll get irritated and prickly when your wife and kids require love and care. If you’re a wife and mother and you treasure cleanliness, your family will become weary of your demands.
If you’re a pastor or ministry leader and you treasure growth and success, you’ll panic when your church or program doesn’t grow as fast as you want, or as fast as the other church or program is growing. Can I say this - since when was growth by grace our responsibility anyway?
Whoever you are, and whatever your calling, your life will either be enhanced by or victimized by what you treasure. The scary thing is, you can’t avoid being a treasure hunter, so you need to ask yourself: what is it that I treasure, and how closely is my treasure associated with the Kingdom of God?
By grace, we’ve been given the power to pursue a different kind of treasure. The Spirit of God resides in our soul, giving us the desire, and the ability, to pursue heavenly treasure. Admit to our pursuit of selfish treasure and watch what God can do!
Christmastime is a time of the year to contemplate what transpired the past months. For I believe in my heart that all things work together for good to us who loved God and to us who are the called to carry the Treasure. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn treasure among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them as carries of Treasures, He called them to come to Him.And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glorious Treasure! (Romans 8:28-30 paraphrase mine)NLT.
Treasure the treasure in your heart.
Welcome 2019!
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