The Treasure
To Know Him and Walk In His Ways—This Is life
Why the World Can’t See Christ—And How We Can Change That
Everyone longs for a treasure—something worth living and dying for. Some seek it in love, truth, contentment, or joy. Others chase wealth, health, fame, or power, believing fulfillment lies there. Some pursue knowledge and science, while others look beyond this world, searching for it in enlightenment, religion, or God. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
The Treasure Map
Many follow a map, convinced it will lead them to their treasure. Whether spoken or silently lived, our pursuit reveals what we truly believe holds the treasure we seek. Jesus spoke of a treasure hidden in a field—so valuable a person sells all to gain it (Matthew 13:44).
The Unappealing Treasure
As the world seeks this treasure, two sides of a coin emerge. On one side, a generation tirelessly follows a map, dedicating their lives to finding their treasure—yet the riches they pursue fail to bring the joy, connection, and love they hoped for. The chase leaves them empty, reaching for the next promise, only to find it just as thin as the last (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
On the other path, a rising generation rejects the old maps after witnessing their emptiness. Disillusioned by broken promises, they refuse what was handed down. Yet instead of seeking truth, many define their path by impulse and feeling—even embracing falsehood in defiance (Judges 21:25).
Both are searching; few are finding. One clings to the illusion of treasure; the other rejects the past in a blind search for something new. “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
A Real Treasure
People want something real—something that actually delivers what the heart longs for. When it doesn’t, they reject it. This is why many now not only reject the old ways, but truth itself. Yet truth is not an idea; truth is a Person (John 14:6). Only a real treasure can satisfy a real soul (Psalm 16:11).
Christianity’s Two Faces
As Christians, we must face our own failures. On one side are loud voices—self-righteous postures, political coercion, or constant intra-church criticism—trying to defend the Kingdom as if God needs our force. But Jesus did not come to polish this world; He came to save us from it (John 18:36). He made the world’s emptiness plain by His love, His refusal of its allure, and His cross (Philippians 2:5-8).
On the other side are silent Christians tucked inside safe bubbles. They say they’ve found a treasure but live as if they have not. Words multiply—debates, apologetics, techniques—yet without lives transformed by Christ, words ring hollow (James 1:22; 1 Corinthians 4:20). We are called to shine so that others see our good works and glorify the Father (Matthew 5:16).
The Lost Treasure
I once watched the story of Forrest Fenn, who hid a chest in the Rockies; some died searching because they believed it was real. Today, many doubt the Christian claim not because Christ is untrue, but because we often live as if He is not worth everything. We have dulled the beauty that should burn in our lives (Revelation 2:4-5).
We are meant to be living signs that either draw people to Jesus or lovingly confront what they live for (2 Corinthians 2:15). That is what makes others ask for the map we follow (1 Peter 3:15).
A Hard Truth
Some will say this is harsh. But love tells the truth (Ephesians 4:15). I long for people to know Christ—and to know Him more myself. If we cannot be questioned, challenged, or corrected, our hearts have grown hard (Hebrews 3:13).
Looking around, I do not always see the power of the Spirit in us as in Acts; I see us blending in—claiming we’re not of this world, yet living as if we are (Romans 12:2; 1 John 2:15-17). Many are not willfully off course; it’s all we have known, the only model we’ve seen. Turning a ship takes courage, humility, and time.
I know because I’ve wrestled with this. The church in Acts looked different from what I experienced. Only by stepping back could I see how spiritually young and sheltered we often are—and how much we need renewal (Acts 2:42-47).
We All Lose
In the end, everyone loses. The non-Christian may never see the beauty of Christ or the treasure he or she was made for—unless God breaks through in spite of us. And Christians lose when we settle for a compromised faith—like winning an ocean and sipping a thimble (John 7:37-38).
Our pursuits become models for those who follow—family, children, friends—who may inherit our half-measures. Worst of all, we will stand before the Treasure Himself and explain why we would not pursue Him with all our heart (2 Corinthians 5:10).
The True Treasure
Jesus is the treasure above all treasures—surpassing worth, compared to which everything else is loss (Philippians 3:8). His love is better than life (Psalm 63:3). His riches are unsearchable (Ephesians 3:8). In Him is light, joy, and truth without shadow (John 8:12).
Yet we often hide behind failure instead of bringing it into His light. Like children, we clutch the world’s comforts while trying to follow Christ. But Jesus walks the higher way; the childish cannot follow there (Hebrews 5:12-14). It is time to seek Him as if life depends on it—because it does (Jeremiah 29:13). Until we treasure Him as He deserves, why would anyone else?
Summary
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13
