Greatest Treasure

If you've ever moved from one place to another, you probably amazed yourself at how much stuff - treasure or junk - you accumulated over time. A close friend has long been in the storage unit business - oh, the stories she can tell! Let us hear the counsel of God: "Even those who trust in and rely on their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches ... none of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him - for the ransom of his soul is too costly." (Psalm 49:6-9, AMP). There's certainly nothing wrong with a well-tending of what God has entrusted to us - even saving for a "rainy day." There is, however, a terrible misgiving - a failing of confidence - when we trust in ourselves and our means (wealth and wisdom). Jesus said, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36, ESV). The psalm solemnly gives stern warning to us all that when man "dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not descend after him." (Psalm 49:17, AMP). It is good for us to know, however, in this life our greatest trust in and gain will be Jesus Christ! Hear these well spoken wise words of martyred missionary Jim Elliott: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." When we lose ourselves into the willful gain of Christ, we find Treasure that supersedes all treasures. Jesus ... greatest treasure.