Treasure Box

Written By: Nancy Purtlebaugh

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

I remember when I was in elementary school we could get these cards for doing good things. Once you got so many cards you could trade them in for a treasure out of the treasure box. As a young child I would get so excited to be able to trade my cards in for a treasure. You could also choose to keep your cards longer for a better prize. I remember saving up my cards for a very pretty oriental fan. One of my friends had one and I thought they were so cool. I was positive this fan would be the best treasure I had ever owned. 

So after weeks of saving my cards I was able to trade them in for the fan. I was so proud of my treasure. I couldn’t wait to get home and show my mom. I ran in off the school bus and pulled out that fan, so excited to show her. When I pulled it out of its fancy little plastic package and opened it (very quickly I might add, I was so proud of this special prize) you can probably imagine what happened next. Yes, you guessed it-it ripped right in half. This treasure that I had worked so hard for was made of a very thin paper-it was fragile. In a moment, it was gone.

In Evan’s sermon on Sunday he spoke about hope quite a bit. The definition he gave of hope was similar to this: placing our confidence in something good. While that fan was good, it was fragile-it broke and I no longer had it. After that I was very upset. I was a young child and my mom was able to console me. However, as we get older, if we don’t understand the difference between a treasure that lasts and one that is temporary we can live in a world of constant stress and anxiety. I will ask the question that he challenged us with-Where are you placing your hope? Where is your treasure?

Oftentimes I think we try to place our hope in temporary things, or even things/people where our hope should never be placed. We think that we will be fulfilled when we get that job that pays more money, the brand new Iphone that’s coming out, the bigger house, a newer relationship, when we lose 20 pounds, our child’s accomplishment, etc. While all of these things can be good things-if that is where we are placing our hope, if/when any of those things fall apart-unfortunately we probably will too. If you are a Jesus follower-we are meant to put our hope in Jesus. We have a confident expectation in what He has promised us in the future. How can we be sure we have that hope? Well, He died on a cross to save us from our sins-so we can live in eternity with Him. He has the nail scarred hands to prove it. Eyewitnesses who wrote the Bible saw it happen, and saw Him resurrect and ascend to heaven. Hope requires faith. 

Hebrews 11:1 says it this way: Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance in what we do not see.

One of the secrets I can tell you about rich people is this-they don’t have it all together. BUT they have placed their hope in the only ONE who does. They are the ones who, when faced with a tragic or dire situation, still have peace. They keep on going. They move forward with Christ as their anchor, their treasure, their hope.

As Evan said on Sunday-if you place your hope in Christ-the next time something that is fragile breaks-you won’t. Christ is the only One who will never let you down, who will always be there, and can never be broken.

If you aren’t sure what your next step towards putting your hope in Christ looks like-call one of our ministers at Victory (or at your local church), stop by the Next Steps room on Sunday morning, or have a conversation with a trusted Christ follower who is a little further along in their walk than you. Just move forward toward that treasure, that Hope that He offers!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13