I believe in Treasures…
Old. New. Mingled.
I believe in treasures.
We all find things that we treasure from many different interests. Elements of our past, along with wishes of our present and hopes about the future – all roll into that valuable commodity we each enjoy. Treasures.
Some like new things, perhaps a bauble or two, or something of great value, or even something that may increase in value over time. At the same time, others search for things old that equally may be valuable or full of sentiment.
Regardless, many are interesting collectibles that you simply enjoy the process of acquiring.
For some, the money spent is about as important as the object itself. Bragging rights, maybe? But just as soon as you invest in something of great value, you find the cost of storing, enjoying, and protecting the object increases the effort of ownership and money!
For the most part, I enjoy old things. Treasures from the attic that represents our past, or at least someone’s past. My bride and I love to hit the antique stores every so often, looking for these old treasures that are perhaps new to us. Some things are useful and we put them to work, while others are simply a memory of a bygone era and we are interested in putting it into our decoration scheme.
Mingled Treasures: What treasures of old do you have that you value more than some new bauble of the day? Click To TweetHere’s My Thought Today
Bottom line? We have our fair share of Mingled Treasures. Some of the new. Some of the old. But all new to us, and enjoyed. But were the house to be destroyed and all these treasures disappear, the greatest treasure we have is each other. And if one of us is taken away, then I believe there is an ultimate treasured place where we will meet again. Some call it heaven; others describe it as that great “by and by.” I like to imagine it as a treasured place just waiting to be explored!
What do you focus on? Think about it. That’s what you treasure!
I believe that many of us invest in “treasures” of the wrong type, and for the wrong reason. In the chapter where we get our much-needed lesson on Prayer, Jesus goes on to tell us:
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:21 NKJV)
Where you place your greatest focus, that will show you where your heart is focused! In a spiritual sense, I put much value on my time spent in prayer, study, and focus on the Word of God.
Some Simply Focus On Stuff
Some treasure investments. They may or may not be valuable in the future. Some love the collection process and are less concerned about the item they have invested in. I’m thinking of coins and stamps or some such item. We all know their value will fluctuate just like the Baseball Card collections through the decades.
Most of my coins come only from where I normally pick them out of the everyday use that we all experience, but the collection began with a Blue Penny book about 1960 or 61. There was a time I looked for coins more readily than I do now. I would buy sacks of coins at the local bank, open and sort, extract and replace, and then trade the remaining coins in for some more. It was probably more a casual hobby than serious collecting.
Through the years, I fell in love with Petrified Wood. My grandparents had quite a few chunks lining their yard. A neighbor had a huge piece on his patio, and this ” 100 lb stone” I’ve lugged around for years! It made its way into my hands some years back, and I’ve lugged it to Alaska and Washington over the past 25+ years. I have found petrified wood in a barn, a pasture, or even a storage yard where these treasures are collected and sold through the years. There is no way I can imagine life without these particular rocks that are part of my identity, but they are things that Petrified Wood can easily replace.
I find that Petrified W
What Would Jesus Think About It
Jesus shares a series of parables about things of great value, and the way his parables seem to be accepted, this has probably been an age-old thought of people wanting to discover the priceless and valuable. There are the parables of the hidden treasure found in a field and the man who sold everything to have just enough to buy the field so he may obtain the treasure. Another found a pearl of great price, and he too sold all he had to acquire it. These were both noted to be likened to the Kingdom of Heaven. Something of eternal value that nothing you owned was worth keeping. You just had to have it! Deep thought!
He closed out his teaching with this thought:
Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven
is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.
~Matthew 13:52 NKJV
Old treasures, new treasures… Brought out and repeatedly shared. Listen, words have great value, along with objects that demand our attention.
Here’s My Thought Today
What if… Choose God’s Word. An old hymn. Or a re-taught message that is the standard of some preacher somewhere in our past.
What if the householder Jesus describes brings out these treasures to share with others because they personally find a great value in sharing what they valued so much that they sold out everything to obtain?
Some would shake their head and maybe even leave because they hear something they think they already know. I’ve been there and watched it happen. I’ve listened to some shake their heads and say, “We’ve heard this many times.”
What if… What if we would open some fresh eyes to see the great value in something old, even something new, and accept the value of what it’s worth? Every time I read the Bible, I know that something new will pop out, and I’ll be the recipient of New Treasures from an Old Treasure book. If I am honest with myself, I become that person who is always looking for a new understanding in some of the oldest writings any of us have ever enjoyed.
Old hymns. New songs.
Preached messages listened to again and again…
New thoughts from someone’s personal study.
Old books. New studies.
Think It Through!
Maybe that’s the way we need to think about it. There’s Gold in ‘dem ‘der hills! Miners tear the earth apart, looking for loot of nature. Gold. Silver. Diamonds. You know what I’m talking about. These precious metals and stones are not quickly created but rather come from the cauldron of time.
Look at the old, expect to find something new. Look at the new. There’s “old” buried in the thought. Regardless, enjoy the item regardless of its age, value or finding. Solomon says there is nothing new under the sun! That which you think is new is simply the old truth represented. Hang on to it! Someday, you will dust it off, remove it from your treasures, and share it with others. What was new is truly old, and the fact that you treasured it means you will enjoy it for years to come.
