What is your Treasure?

Today, this message just speaks to me 2 times in just this day. First I heard a song by Steven Curtis Chapman, singing “What Now” that we’ve found God… what’s next? Then Jasmine sends this Good News reflection (below) about “Identifying your real treasure”. I mean how cool is that.. it just warms my heart to know that God is telling me to ‘treasure’ him even more.. and that HE is my treasure.. even when I’m feeling like I lack something, that I should realize that Jesus is everything.

This brings us to the reflection verse from 2 Corinthians, that if I must boast, I will boast of things that show my weakness. If not, I would never need God. And if that’s so, I would have missed the greatest treasure on earth. I would have been blind.

Steven Curtis Chapman (All things new album)
"What Now"

I saw the face of Jesus
In a little orphan girl
She was standing in the corner
On the other side of the world
And I heard the voice of Jesus
Gently whisper to my heart
Didn't you say you wanted to find Me
well, here I am, here you are

So what now
what will you do now that you've found me
What now
What will you do with this treasure you've found
I know I may not look like what you expected
But if you'll remember
This is right where I said I would be
You found Me, what now

And I saw the face of Jesus
Down on Sixteeth Avenue
He was sleeping in an old car
While his mom went looking for food
And I heard the voice of Jesus
Gently whisper to my soul
Didn't you say you wanted to know me
Well' here I am and its' getting cold

So come and know, come and know
Know me now
Come, come and know, know me now
Oh, come and know
Come, come and know, know me now
Come, come and know, know me now

http://www.allthelyrics.com/song/219904/


After hearing this song, I remembered one of our sessions with Krish last year I think. We talked about the kingdom of God and the parables Jesus told. And one was about the treasure in the field,... whereby a man finds it and buys the whole field.

Do we dare to commit our whole life to God like this? Sell off our old possessions (our old life) and embrace the new (buy the whole field) with JESUS inside it? It takes a lot certainly and is definitely a recommended journey to make! I guarantee!

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field.” - Matthew 13:44


And we cry together, Holy Holy,
For there is no other like you Lord
We declare together, You are awesome
And you are to be feared, honored and revered,
You are the Lord

Good News Reflection
Friday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time

June 22, 2007

Today's Readings:
2 Cor 11:18, 21-30
Ps 34:2-7 (with 18b)
Matt 6:19-23
http://www.usccb.org/nab/062207.shtml

Identifying your real treasures

If we cannot see or envision what our real treasures are, then we're blind, says Jesus in today's Gospel passage. If we consider as valuable anything that can decay or could be stolen from us, we're living in the darkness of a world-view that cannot give us lasting joy.

Look at today's first reading to see how much St. Paul suffered in his passion for serving the kingdom of God. And yet, he wasn't complaining. He knew that his work was extremely valuable. He knew that eternal treasures come from pressing on through hardships and sacrifices and boldly facing danger for the sake of the salvation of others.

Take a close look -- in the Light of Christ -- at your treasures, your real treasures. What talents do you have? They are gifts from God. What pearls of wisdom or gems of unconditional love or diamonds of trust have you gained from hardship? They will last forever and eternally benefit others if you use them well. How do your weaknesses become treasures that glorify God? If you learn from mistakes, or if you overcome a sinful tendency, or if you crumble in trials but return to your daily pressures with strength from the Holy Spirit, you're collecting treasures beyond measure. The value of these treasures is in the good that they do for others.

God doesn't withhold anything good from us. We, however, walk around rotting and empty, unless we open ourselves to receive the treasures of heaven. This requires recognizing their true value in regards to other people. If we value earthly treasures, toiling to collect them only for our own sake, we will have nothing to take with us to heaven, nor do we have anything now that will give us long-lasting joy on earth.

Earthly goods are to be used for the kingdom of God. If we're willing to share them with others, it's not a sin to have them. God wants to be generous with us so that we become distributors of his goodness. Affluence is not bad, but it's also not the real treasure. What we do with affluence produces the true treasures -- or else it decays our souls.

Our souls are enlivened and enriched when our motive for having what we have and for getting what we dream of getting is to help that which is eternal in others. Do we want to use our possessions in the service of God's kingdom? Or are they serving only earthly, temporary, selfish purposes?

Only by spreading the love of God do we accumulate treasures that we'll be able to enjoy for all of eternity. And if we have to endure hardships and make sacrifices to get it done, foregoing our selfish desires for an easy, comfortable life, then the treasures are precious indeed!