Precious Treasure

ByJim Stephens

Reading:  2 Corinthians 4; Psalm 9

But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own. (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT)

This Precious Treasure! The most valuable treasure of all, the greatest gift heaven could give earth, is here! And it’s in us! What people’s eternal souls need is in us—already in us! And it’s available to others through us!

  • The treasure is the Truth of Jesus Christ: The Truth that God so loves us that he came to our world in the person of Jesus and now lives in us by grace through faith and keeps on loving the people of our world through us!
  • The treasure is the Life of Jesus Christ: Jesus in us, living through us, as we think, talk, and act like Jesus with the people we encounter!
  • The treasure is the Hope of eternal life: When this life pretty much stinks, we know and we can show others that this is not all there is!

God didn’t entrust his most precious treasure, the gift of Truth and Life and Hope, to a professional high-powered organized distribution system in order to give this gift to the world he loves so much.

  • God put his greatest gift, the Precious Treasure, in Jars of Clay (NIV), in unadorned clay pots (MSG), in earthen vessels (KJV).
  • God put his greatest gift, the Precious Treasure, in always ordinary, sometimes unattractive, frequently disposable, often fragile, people like you and me.
  • God gave the world Treasure in Tupperware!

Now it’s up to us:

  • Now it’s up to us to get those containers, our lives, out of the cupboard and into the kitchen and the dining room and wherever people are.
  • Now it’s up to us to take the lids off those containers and give people access to the treasure inside.
  • Now it’s up to us to stop worrying about how the containers look and whether they might get scratched or scuffed or banged around a little!

Prayer:

Father, I see it. Please help me do it! Please help us do it! To take the lids off, to pour out the Precious Treasure to others, to stop making it about us. Please. Amen.