Musings and Memories
By Doug Dezotell
There was a very wealthy man who was confused and distressed over the thought of not being able to take his riches with him when he died.
The thought of this plagued him to the point of death.
So, before he died, he loaded his briefcase with two gold bars from his private vault and left instructions to have the briefcase locked and handcuffed to his wrist, and the key placed into his grave clothes before he was placed in his casket.
His family carried out his orders exactly as he requested..
When the rich man died he showed up at the Gates of Heaven, sharply dressed in his best three-piece suit.
And of course, he still had his briefcase handcuffed to his wrist, with the key in his right vest pocket.
The Angel at the Heavenly Gates asked him, “What do you have in your briefcase?”
Very proudly, the man unlocked the case, opened it, and displayed his two gold bars.
“Isn’t that special!” the Angel said, “You brought pavement.”
Martin Luther once said, “I would not trade one moment of Heaven for all the joy and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years.”
You know what? I have all that I need right here… and then Heaven hereafter!
How much wealthier could anybody want to be?
In Jesus’ Parable of the Hidden Treasure, a man accidentally discovers something valuable.
In the Parable of the Costly Pearl, the man is searching for something valuable.
Many people spend their lives on that Treasure Hunt thinking that it will fulfill their lives.
In like manner, a person may hear of the Good News of Jesus Christ when he least expects it…
Or when he is searching for truth in the midst of a world of ideas.
The 2 parables contrast how these 2 men find their treasure, and they stress what they have in common. They both had the ability of spiritually discerning what was truly valuable.
In Matthew 6:19-21, in the Common English Bible, says: 19 “Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. 20 Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in Heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. 21 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 13:51-52 tells of a conversation Jesus had one day with His followers. It goes like this: 51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who is instructed concerning the Kingdom of Heaven (in the Holy Scriptures) is like a householder who brings out of his treasure, things new and old.”
Every time we look into the Word of God, we find old truths, old treasures, and maybe even those things we already knew.
And we also find new truths, new treasures, as the Holy Spirit sheds His light on our minds and enlightens us.
These “New Treasures” speak of new insights and understanding that are revealed at the proper time. This would include the teachings of Jesus.
The “Old Treasures” speak of the truths that have been established, founded upon what God has already revealed in the Law and the Prophets.
Biblical teachers are to bring forth the revelation of God and His Word as treasures to the people. And we all need both the Old and the New Insights, Old and New Treasures.
The New builds upon the Old.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:20: “…but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
The great English preacher, Charles Spurgeon, said: “You must keep all earthy treasures out of your heart, and let Christ be your treasure, and let Him have your heart.”
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Doug Dezotell serves as the pastor of Cannon UMC in Shelbyville, and he’s a columnist for the Bedford County Post. Doug can be contacted by phone at 931-607-5191 or by email at dougmdezotell@gmail.com. Thank you for reading Doug’s “Musings and Memories;” and for reading the Bedford County Post.
