Tag: christianity

“Your heart will be where your treasure is.
Store up treasures for yourselves in Heaven,
where moths and rust don’t destroy and
thieves don’t break in and steal.”
Mathew 6:20-21

Throughout my life, I have had a strong tendency to spot and then collect little
“treasures” . . . often treasures that other people may or may not see as anything
special. Something that had caught my eye. And then, later,I would re-discover my
little treasure, having completely forgotten about it. The drawtowards a “treasure” is a
human thing. Children seem to always find little treasures that quickly find their way into
a pocket or a little container, often forgotten in a short time.

As those children grow into adulthood, the “treasures” change . . . often becoming of
greater earthly value, and taking up more space in our lives. It’s a prevalent reality in
our human nature. Our hearts are filled with personal treasures . . . both good and bad.

What “treasures” have come to occupy the precious spaces of your heart? When was
the last time that you took an inventory of the contents of your heart? What are the true
treasures? What are the “treasures” that are more “trash” than “treasure”?

Jesus’ Words, recorded by Matthew, are just as important today as they were when
Matthew was hearing them from the Heart of Jesus, in “real time.”

We would all do well to take a regular inventory of the “storehouse” of our own hearts.
How much rust has accumulated? How much damage has been done by the “moths”
that have taken up residence there? Rust and moths don’t do their damage overnight
… it takes time. Thieves do a quicker job of their damage . . . much more intentional
and sneaky. In and out . . . and it may take a while for us to realize that “something”
of value has been stolen from our hearts. It’s a slow process of realization . . . silent. . .
intentionally secretive.

The only Safe Place in which to place our treasures of this life is in Heaven, into the
nail-scarred Hands of Jesus. That act in itself helps us to consider those treasures with
a deeper awareness of just how precious they truly are.

“I am the Vine….you are the branches.
Abide in Me…and you will live.”

John 15:5

This morning, checking my little flower garden beside my back porch, I discovered, much to my delight and surprise, that my favorite flowering vine had sent out a new little tendril, which had somehow reached, through mid-air, to a tall shepherd’s hook about a yard away from the blossoming vine. There was nothing but air between the vine and the shepherd’s hook to which it had now begun to wind itself.

I was delighted . . . yet surprised and puzzled. I know, from the growing bouquet of bright red, large blossoms, that the shepherd’s hook will soon extend that original beautiful “bouquet” further into the garden far beyond what I could have hoped.

I couldn’t help but think of the Words of Jesus, as He taught His dear followers, using a word picture they were seeing as they walked with Him in the countryside.

My dear, Good Shepherd Whispered to my heart the Words He had spoken to His closest followers as they walked along with Him.

I don’t know how that Vine reached across the space and onto that shepherd’s hook. I did not see it happen. But carried by nothing tangible, it had reached beyond where it was planted and blooming, and was now beginning to bring beauty to a plain old, rusty-black shepherd’s staff among the stones.

That’s what Jesus does with us . . . for us. Apart from Him…the Vine….we’re sure to become a shriveled, droopy, dying blossom. We’ll hit the ground eventually, and again become part of the earth.

But the blossoms still connected to the Vine continue to bring color and life and beauty to a landscape of rocks and dirt. A vine moves…extends…and nobody sees it happen. It simply does. And its blossoms will come, open,and bring beauty to a spot that had nothing but stones and a plain, rusty pole.

I am sure that I will soon see that Shepherd’s Hook “blooming” soon.

Our Good…GOOD Shepherd does that as He leads us to places beyond where we were planted. And through our lives that are wrapped around Him, beauty…color…fragrance…
will extend to the rocky places that had no beauty nor life before. It often happens in unexpected ways, and not by human orchestration. That’s part of what makes it so special.

No person can take credit for the new color and fragrance that has entered a plain, rocky place. He simpy chooses to share His surprises in unexpected places where He has brought new life and all ofits beauty.