I really like to watch the TV show, Expedition Unknown, and I get a kick out of the many adventures of Josh Gates, an archeologist turned tv personality. Josh is very locked in to finding long lost treasure, and hidden things, and his witty personality makes the journey even more enjoyable as he searches for treasure that no one else can find. The magnet to this show is that you think he will discover some huge treasure at any moment….but he doesn’t!
Treasure hunters apparently have the same MO, and it is the joy of the searching that keeps them going. It seems that if they find a small coin they think that the entire treasure is right behind that one small coin that they just dug up and so they keep searching. When Josh gets in touch with these other treasures hunters they invariably say the same thing,”We are going to find treasure today!” And then they come back with mostly nothing you see there are no guarantees that one coin found at the bottom of the ocean floor will lead you to a massive treasure underneath. NO GUARANTEES!!
What about searching for God? You don’t have to look very far to see the results of man searching for God in all the wrong places. What with Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed and many others the constant search for true happiness that is found in God has led many “treasure hunters” down varied paths trying to find happiness and “treasure.” For those that follow those “fake” Gods the jury is still out and, like most treasure hunters, they really have come up empty unless they find the one true God, The Great I Am. The writer of Proverbs shares a great truth from God in Proverbs 8:17 17 “I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me. This very upfront verse shows God is not hiding from us and we don’t have to make substitutes for him to find satisfaction. God is available and very easy to find. He is treasure that really does lead to the jackpot. No tricks, no false leads. He is known!!!
The treasure we get from God is not treasure that will someday rust or decay. It is eternal treasure. James 5:2-3 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! The eternal treasure we receive from God is real and lasting and available to all you treasure hunters, but it will not perish or spoil. It is forever fresh and new. Matthew 6:19-20 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; Most treasure hunters want to find the treasure chest of wealth that will set them up for life, but those who seek and find Jesus know that they are set up for eternity and that treasure is better than all the gold in the world. We treasure the new life and eternal life given through a relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The question is “Do you treasure the life that Jesus gives you, or are you still seeking happiness through the desire to get a worldly treasure?”
Paul, in writing to Timothy, his son in the faith talked about the wrong kind of treasure hunting that is driven by the “love” of money. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. The writer of Ecclesiastes in chapter 5 verse 10 said it this way, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.” There is a very God-centered attitude that teaches us that riches are fleeting, but the word of God and our relationship with God lasts for eternity!! Our society teaches the total opposite of this great scripture and makes us think that we are not complete unless we are all millionaires, but for those who seek that eternal treasure, we find ourselves complete in the realization that this earth will pass away, but we will live for eternity if we have Jesus.
Our expedition and search for treasure and wealth ended at the place where we accepted Jesus and gave our life to Him. We hit the jackpot for eternity and our faith should grow from the base realization that there is nothing better or more valuable than the precious love of God. Our expedition is an expedition known, not unknown. If you are seeking for satisfaction and completeness today and you are looking for the greatest treasure of all time, then you can know where it is and also get it by surrendering your life to Jesus and accepting Him by faith today. At that point the initial expedition is over and a new way of looking at life begins the journey of faith that moment by moment and day by day develops that treasure into something that is priceless and wonderful. You see this great treasure more and more when you walk more and more closely with the Lord and you find out more about the treasure through His Word, the Bible. Precept – a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought. Psalms 19:8-10 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. So the value of the treasure is found as you spend more time in God’s Word unearthing valuable truths about life that are given from God the Father. God’s ways should be what we follow in every area of life and Paul shared this with the church at Rome in Romans 11:33 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! God is not keeping things from us, but He is giving us answers to all the great questions of life through His Word, but we will not know those answers unless we study that Word!! It is no mystery, but His truth answers all questions about life. THE TREASURE IS RIGHT THERE, SO UNCOVER IT AND GET INTO THE WORD AND FIND OUT THE ANSWERS TO ALL THE QUESTIONS OF LIFE. EXPEDITION KNOWN!!!
The Pilgrimage continues..
David Warren
Comments