What is our treasure?

What does treasure actually mean? It means something that is very dear to you. In the dictionary meaning as a noun treasure means: anything or person greatly valued or highly prized. As a verb it means:to retain carefully or keep in store, as in the mind/to regard or treat as precious; cherish.

Keep the above meanings in mind, as a Christian what are the things we treasure? Our car, home, music collection our intellect.. the list can go on.. We need to evaluate our lives constantly and keep our mind in check and see what are the things we treasure. Is Christ our treasure? Do we cherish Him more than anything else? There are a lot of things in this world that distract us and change our focus from Christ to other perishable things. The main reason we cherish other things more than Christ is because we don't value Him enough over the other things and He is not of great importance in our lives.

So we know our problem so what is the solution. How do i make Christ my all in all in my daily living.

1. Spend time Meditating on Scripture.

• Focus on His Attributes
• His work on the Cross

2.Spend time in prayer.

• Praising God
• Giving Thanks

3. Memorize Scripture.

• Scripture memorization should ultimately result in application in our daily living.
• People around us should see that every decision we make, our lifestyle, is centered around Christ.

So let us evaluate our lives and see who or what is our real treasure. I will end with Psalm 145

Great Is the Lord

[1] A Song of Praise. Of David.

145:1 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.

2 Every day I will bless you

and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.

5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10 All your works shall give thanks to you,
O Lord,and all your saints shall bless you!

11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your [2] mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.]

[3]14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

To Know God

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You sent.” John 17:3

This is the Highly Priestly prayer breathed out by Our Saviour for all the believers who believed in Him and who would believe. Yes!! Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (1Tim.1:15) like you and me. From what? From the bondage of sin, death and from the clutches of the devil. For what? To have eternal life, in order to KNOW God- who is the one true God and Jesus Christ.

Most often when we think of eternal life, we are prone to think in terms of quantity than in terms of quality. Focus on the depth not just the breadth!! True life is knowing God! Stop at that. Think for a minute with me. God saved us to know Him. The one true God who is Great, powerful, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Sovereign, All-wise, abounding in love and so much more. We finite creatures, poor, fallen now washed, cleansed, forgiven to know an infinite God!! Doesn't that thought blow your mind??

We were not saved for ourselves and to just secure a safe place in heaven, but pulled out of hell's fire and brought into a close intimate relationship with God through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are called into a relationship. Notice carefully it is not knowing about God but knowing God. There is a vast difference in that. No wonder it was Paul's running theme often in the Epistle to the Philippians. And God wants us not just to know Him but also to understand Him. And He delights in that. Too much?? Read the verse below.

"Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands me and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." Jeremiah 9:23-24.

So the next time you are thanking God for your salvation received through Christ, meditate on John 17:3. We are to know God and Jesus Christ by the power of His Holy Spirit. And this is accomplished with much dependence on His Holy Spirit, by reading and meditating on His precious life-giving word that transforms our life and renews our mind (Romans12:2), in constant prayer and practical application of His word in our lives, desiring His glory alone!! (1Cor.10:31)

Study of Doctrine

Doctrine plays a very important role in the life of a Christian. I know of many churches who do not give importance to the study of doctrine. Therefore, we have Christians all around with a very shallow knowledge of the Word of God. Being part of a local church that stresses on going back to the Bible for everything, helps a Christian grow in faith. Some important doctrines like Justification, Election, Sovereignty of God and many more play a vital role in our lives. It helps us to think biblically and thus the foundation of our faith is strong. For eg: In times of trial we know that the Lord is sovereign in our lives, and therefore we don't doubt God in his doing knowing that He is perfect control.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope"

Therefore we know that the Lord has "plans of welfare" for us, and it helps us focus our mind on the character of God. A person who does not know this truth will tend to believe that God is mean and loves to see His children struggle.

The study of Doctrine also helps us discern the truth from the lies. There are so many people who do not preach accurately, and because of the lack of knowledge from the Bible people believe them blindly. Doctrines are taken from God's word so ultimately we are studying the Bible, which will draw us closer to God and know Him better, which should be our ultimate goal.

One life to live!!

Yesterday, I completed reading the book, "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper and I must confess that I am quite unsettled in my heart. How am I living the life gifted by God for His glory?? Am I making much of Christ ?? Is my lifestyle and pattern of living reflecting that Christ is my REAL TREASURE??? I ask you too?

It is so easy to get caught up in the flow of life forgetting that we are called to lose our lives for the sake of Christ that we may actually save it!!! Radical huh?? Paul knew when he said, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21. And "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Philippians 3:8....

Christ is our real Treasure! He is the Bread of life! He is the gentle Shepherd. He is our all in all!! I love this quote that I came across in this book:

Only one life,
’Twill soon be past;
Only what’s done
for Christ will last.

Let us resolve to live in the light of eternity and with gratefulness of heart that we were saved by the precious blood of Jesus and that we are not our own, we belong to Him!!
“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19- 20).