The Lord Jesus Christ
said, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul? (Matt. 16:26 KJV). This truth suggests that the most
important thing in this world is the soul of man,
not any material thing or treasure that we see with our naked eyes
and can hold in our hands. We can own all the silver and gold in the
world; all the precious jewels and diamonds; all the lands and
buildings and all that is found in this world, but nothing compares
to the value and importance of the preservation of man’s soul to
whom the Lord Jesus promised to live with him in heaven eternally.
The importance of the
soul of man to God is eloquently demonstrated by his sending His only
begotten Son to suffer the supreme sacrifice of death
by crucifixion to redeem the soul of man from the penalty of sin
which is death (Rom. 6:23).
The Bible tells us
that “Naked came I from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I
return thither” (Job 1:21 KJV). The Apostle Paul, reiterating
this Old Testament precept said, “For we brought nothing into this
world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Tim. 6:7
KJV). Again, the Lord Jesus also said, “Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where
thieves break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there
your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19-21 KJV). This suggests that we
can also have treasures in heaven.
What then are these
treasures in heaven above since we cannot bring our treasures on
earth when we leave this world? The answer is: nothing else but the
souls that will enter heaven in fulfillment of the command to “Go
unto all the world and preach the gospel (the Good News) to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he
that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16 KJV). In a
more detailed command to his disciples, the Lord Jesus commanded:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matt. 28:19-20 KJV).
Each day, you and I
are writing the story of our lives by what we say and do as we serve
God and mankind in our respective vocation or profession in life.
Are we seeking the great, but often neglected, wealth of the Bible?
The psalmist wrote: “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than
thousands of gold and silver” (Ps. 119:72 KJV). He also said, “I
have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all
riches . . . Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your
law” (Ps. 119:14, 18). The “law” refers to the Ten
Commandments, and the Testimonies are the words of God embodied in
the entire canonized Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Therefore, we
should not neglect to hear or read the canonized Bible that we “may
see (or experience) wondrous things” of God.
The Bible is the
written record written by Holy men of God who were inspired by the
Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21), through which we get to
know Jesus Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). Its nuggets of truth and wisdom are
equally available to all of us. All we have to do is listen to the
Word being preached or taught – “Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Or we can read if we know
how to read. If we have Christ (the wisdom and righteousness of God
[1 Cor. 1:30] then all the things we have need of shall
be added unto us (Matt. 6:33).
A life well-lived is
directly related to a Bible heard or well-read and applied
in our daily lives. As we live out our life story, let’s be sure
to tap the treasure of God’s Word day after day. The Bible is a
treasure house, where we can always find whatever we
need from day to day for heart, soul, mind and spirit. Let us be
sure to acquire as our treasure on earth a good Bible, the old King
James version (KJV) which is a translation of the Hebrew and Greek
originals nearest to the original manuscripts and
preferably a New International version (NIV) which is easier to
understand because it is our everyday English language, before
acquiring jewelries, lands and buildings or other earthly things.
Let us dig the pages of the Bible where there are treasures waiting
for us to be tapped. “Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and his righteousness (Jesus Christ) and all the things you have
need of shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). If we have Christ
in our heart, every need shall just follow!
Most important of all,
we will know, believe, accept, receive, and LOVE Jesus Christ as our
LORD and only SAVIOR. The evidence of this is our
Christlike character which is described in Galatians
5:22-23 as fruit of the Holy Spirit, namely: Love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
“Ye shall know them by their (spiritual) fruit” (Matt. 7:16
KJV). Do we reflect these characteristics in our life?
Jesus Christ is the
most valuable treasure to us on earth and in heaven, for in Him we
have life and our being, and shall have the blessing of eternal life,
now and in the new world to come.
(FGBMFI Davao City
Chapter Bulletin May 18, 2013)
No comments:
Post a Comment