“Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.” 2 Cor. 4:7

Ever since I was a child I collected “treasures”. My treasures were never gold, silver or jewels but natural objects that caught my attention as I wandered through woods, streams and anywhere I went. I have always been fascinated with rocks and shells. But I will collect feathers and leaves and sticks as well. To the ordinary eye they may look rather ordinary, but in my eyes they are wonderful moments of awe at God’s creation. The collecting has not really stopped, just scaled back in adult life. Now I keep a tray on my art table of these treasures. They are reminders of moments in time, paths I have walked or the sheer wonder of God’s creation. My daughter came by one day and noticed my little treasure box and she was thrilled to see it and to know that she was not alone in her treasure hunting either.

When I pick up these various items and examine them, they often have rough exteriors and imperfections but there is a unique quality in each of them that caused me to take notice of them in the first place. Jesus would use finding treasures as a parabolic teaching to understand how precious God’s word is to us (Matt. 13:45-46;Luke 15:8-10). But He would also warn us to not store up treasures on earth and miss the treasure of heaven (Matt. 6:19-21) and to be mindful that out of the treasures of our heart our mouths will speak (Matt. 12:33-37). But one of my favorite texts about treasures comes from 2 Corinthians where Paul is explaining who he is in ministry and really who all of us are in God’s sight if we are choosing to live for Him.

The treasure is Christ living on the inside through the Holy Spirit. God saw fit to hide this treasure in meek and simple vessels like our weak and worn bodies. The purpose is not to hide it from the world for fear of it being stolen. No, the purpose is to cause those who will search beneath the surface of our circumstances, weaknesses, confusion and despair to see the real sustaining power of Christ at work in us and through us. This power will cause us to smile at those who persecute, press forward when pushed backwards, and get up when we receive life threatening blows. Most jewels are hidden in dingy rocks, gold has to be mined and silver has to be refined. So those who have Jesus living on the inside are precious jewels and metals in God’s sight, we just happened to be dressed in earthly bodies that are prone to wear and tear, imperfect shapes and sizes. We are the vessels of God’s heavenly treasure waiting to be unearthed to show forth His love and power to any and all who will look and see.