Treasure Hunting

It is Labor Day and summer has gone by so quickly. My daughter begins her 3rd full week of classes at college this week while students all over the country begin their return to school tomorrow. May we take the time to pray for the students who attend the schools in our communities. May those who know not the Lord Jesus come to know the truth of the Gospel. Let us pray especially for those students who know the Lord Jesus. May they be strong in their faith and may their walk be pleasing to Him.

For the past two Sundays I had the opportunity and priviledge to preach at my home church as my pastor and his wife were away celebrating their twenty-fifth aniversary. The focus of my two-part message was the “surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus”. In a portion of the message I shared some thoughts from a portion of Paul’s letter to the Colossians.

In Colossians 2:3, speaking of Christ, Paul was inspired to write, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." This is a truth that we ought to pause and take special notice of; all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ! Believers all over the world can testify of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge they have found in Christ.

This "hidden treasure" hunt is unlike any other. God has revealed to us the exact location of the treasure. There is no need for guessing or for plotting the location. Though we often do, time should not be wasted looking elsewhere. These treasures are in Christ and can be found nowhere else.

We need no other map or directions. No special eyeglasses. No secret code to be found only in some remote location in the world. No special key. We cannot hire someone else or send someone else to find these treasures for us. But we may find them in Christ and He desires that we do.

In the passage itself we see that there is no guessing at what treasures will be found there. He has told us clearly. It is wisdom, and it is knowledge. Not man's wisdom or knowledge but God's. There are no high expectations of this treasure that will not be satisfied. It is quite the opposite. Our highest expectations will pale in comparison to the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are found in Christ.

There is a way in which this hunt for hidden treasure is like those that we read about or watch movies about. The "treasure hunter", if you will, is one that has a passion to search for the treasure. They are willing to go to great lengths to find that which they believe is of great value. But in the usual hunt for hidden treasure, it is often the treasure itself that is the object of those who pursue it. But the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge ought not to be the object of the believer's passion and pursuit. That belongs to Christ alone!

But when our passion to know Him is realized and we grow in our knowledge of Him, we find the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are hidden in Him! We know the treasures. We know where they are hidden. We know how to get there. But we must consider our own answers to some questions. "Do I have the passion to go there?" "Do I have the passion for Christ?" "Do I want to know Him better?" May we pray for and encourage one another in this important matter. May the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge edify the body of Christ as its members grow in their knowledge of Him.