But Mary treasured up
all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19
Some of us like to share photos, thoughts, and ideas on
Facebook. I sometimes think of the things I post as “treasures” that I can pull
up by going to Facebook and “pondering” them again just by scrolling through my
profile. Next up: a Facebook-generated scrapbook!
The thoughts, memories, feelings, and photos we have and
share with others, on Facebook or by simply considering them in our own hearts,
reveal our priorities. Some of us like to read. Some of us like to bake. Some
of us like to relax by watching television. We are proud of our children. We
are proud of our pets. We treasure our friends. We treasure our collections.
Each of us, unique in our preferences and priorities, is a child of God. When
we make God and our relationship with Him a priority, he can direct us in what
we consider to be of importance in our lives. That’s not to say that we become
different people, necessarily, but we should start to view things differently,
in a different, Christ-filled light.
In the book of Matthew, we read: But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin
do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:20-21). And in Mark,
Jesus tells “the rich man” what he must do to inherit eternal life. From the
book of Mark:
As Jesus was starting
out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and
asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me
good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you
know the commandments: ‘You must not
murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify
falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” the man
replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
Looking at the man,
Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,”
he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face
fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around
and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of
God!” This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard
to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it
is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person
to enter the Kingdom of God!”
The disciples were
astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
Jesus looked at them
intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God.
Everything is possible with God.”
Then Peter began to
speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
“Yes,” Jesus replied,
“and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News,
will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters,
mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come
that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be
least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the
greatest then.” Mark 10:17-31 (NLT)
I’m not sure if we all need to become nomadic monks, but I
think what Jesus is saying here is: Put
me first. Glorify me in all that you do, and you will have “treasure in
heaven”.
Mary treasured the sights and experiences she had with her
son, Jesus, not only because she knew who He truly was, but because she was His
parent. As parents do, she valued and treasured her time with Jesus because she
loved Him.
What do you ponder in your heart? What thoughts do you share with others? How do
you spend your free time? Let God guide you, and those treasured thoughts and
priorities will become pleasing to Him, and will bless you and others in your
time here on earth. In our Wednesday Bible study, the author of our current
book, “Pauses for Pentecost”, tells
of the transforming of the Holy Spirit in our lives: “From the inside out, the
Lord who is Spirit wants to change us into ‘little Christs’.” He goes on to say
that it is a renovation of our heart, will, thoughts, and feelings. I think
that we need to continually ask for His help in this “renovation” in our lives,
by the awareness of the Holy Spirit within us.
Prayer: Dear Lord, let
me turn to you more often in my daily life. Help me make time for prayer, Bible
study, Christian fellowship with others, serving You. Show me that by serving and
honoring You, I’m “storing up treasure” in Heaven AND while I’m here on earth. Amen.
Donna Gustafson
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