Friday, February 23, 2024

Are you a treasure seeker?

Job seekers, thrill seekers, freedom seekers, truth seekers... they are everywhere. What about treasure seekers? 

There was a time when we were backpacking all over the world. I found joy in collecting rocks, stones, and sea shells. I would fill my backpack with such treasures and then complain that it was too heavy to carry 😏

Most of the time I ended up tossing my treasures, lightening my load, and realizing life was easier that way.

I know, I know what the Bible says about collecting too much stuff: Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-20).

How do we store up our treasures in heaven? Why? Isn't heaven full of treasures? Maybe I will get the answers one day, who knows.

One thing I do know: God is not against treasures. Jesus is God's greatest treasure, and He sent Him down to live among mankind. He shared His greatest treasure with us. And I discovered that God wants us to go on a treasure hunt! Seriously.

The Bible says about Jesus: In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). I don't know about you, but I can't really grasp that truth. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus.

In a world where wisdom and knowledge have degraded to nothing more than a false pretense, I want to be a treasure seeker for the wisdom from above! Simply because stuff will lose its value and disappear but wisdom will last forever.

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COMMANDMENT
You shall not covet

BOOK
My Neighbor's House

CORE VALUE
Wisdom
We do not desire the things of this world but seek after spiritual virtues such as wisdom.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

How much is love?

Isn't it wonderful, all the Valentine's Day messages we get to see on social media today? Hearts, chocolates, and of course lots of red and pink.

Why not a blue or green heart, I sometimes wonder. Let's not limit our love expressions to red. After all, love is infinitely great. Yeah, and at the same time, as we all know, human love is limited, it is not faultless, and certainly not always reliable.

On Valentine's Day specifically, many people feel sad because they have not yet met the love of their life or because their love has left. There is grief over unfaithfulness, divorce, as well as loss because of death and illness. Love is no bed of roses, we all know that.

Despite disappointments, love is at the center of our lives. We were made to love and to receive love. Yes, to be loved. Let's face it, without love, humanity cannot survive.

When I wasn't yet a Christian, I wondered why people sometimes said to me, "God loves you, Jesus loves you." What does that matter? Why is that so important?

Well, thank God I know! God is love and because He is eternal, trustworthy, and good, so is His love. His love is the core of our existence. Knowing we are loved by God, despite our mistakes, despite our fears and failures... that is the starting point for everything!

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins [you can read this in the Bible, in 1 John 4:9-10].