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- Aug 26, 2023
- 5 min read
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). God's only begotten Son is Heaven's greatest Treasure; and with great love, God gave that Treasure to us.
God's Kingdom is a hidden treasure. When we seek and follow Him, He reveals Himself to us and the wonder of eternal life exceeds any earthly value and is worth everything we have. Eternal life requires believers to give up our own wishes and desires, but the benefits outweigh anything we can imagine.
Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” meaning that we will centre our lives around what we value most. If we prioritize the wrong things, our lives will go off the rails. If we prioritize the right things, our lives will stay in the transformative footsteps of our risen Redeemer.
In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge [regarding the word and purposes of God]. (Colossians 2:3) This wisdom contains in its treasuries understanding, the knowledge. Material things that can be destroyed or stolen, investments in Heaven cannot be threatened by others.
It is not only a wise investment to store lasting treasures through obedience to God, and seeking to please Him. It also properly orients your heart. Jesus reveals that a core reason His disciples should store up treasures in heaven is because of this truth: where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
There is only one way to store up treasures in heaven. You must be the person God has called you to be, do the things God has called you to do, and do them with the right heart, motivation, and attitude. Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; for by doing these things [actively developing these virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin]; for in this way entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided to you. (1Peter 1:10-11)
Peter says “His divine power” has given to all of us all of the things which you and I need to live life to the full— physical life and spiritual life to the full.
Through the knowledge of Him: We come to knowledge of Him as we learn of Him through His word, through prayer.
Believers are offered more than just the rewards of heaven. Those who trust Christ for salvation will be richly provided with an entrance to the kingdom of Jesus.
God has already told us to expect trials in this life. We know they are coming so
whenever we find ourselves with plenty, the wisdom of God’s Word says to set some of it aside for the lean times. We see that the weakness of humility is God's greatest strength. Jesus crucifixion is humble and weak but it is more powerful than all man's philosophies and power.
We need to be aware that bigger is not always better; small things can teach us great lessons. To the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ]. In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight] He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]--to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny--we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]. The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:6-14) And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus, [and He did this] so that in the ages to come He might [clearly] show the immeasurable and unsurpassed riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus [by providing for our redemption]. ( Ephesians 2:6-7)
Paul says that believers should imitate God and should seek to pattern their lives in accordance with the character of God. Paul says that believers should walk like Christ and love like Christ and to do this is to walk the way of the cross. The call to bear one's cross as part of following Jesus, then, is a call to be as submitted to Christ as the condemned criminal was to his death. Therefore, when Jesus calls for self-denial and cross-bearing, he's claiming authority. Following Christ means disowning the self and giving allegiance to him instead.
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. ( Luke 9:23)

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