The Treasure that Frees Us

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:22-34).

Jesus followed up His warning to avoid the treasure that traps us with an exhortation to pursue a different kind of treasure. This makes sense when we consider that true disciples are born again into a completely new life in Christ… “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Perhaps that’s why the Spirit moved Luke to note that Jesus made this address “to his disciples”. True disciples are supposed to live a life that is free from the entanglements of the world, above the temptations and beyond the trials of everyday life… “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). Today we hear Jesus exhorting all true disciples to set our hearts on a different kind of prize and to earnestly seek the treasure that frees us.

The treasure that frees us from this world is found in the life that Christ sustains. Maturing disciples are learning to walk by faith… “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:6-7). This means that despite the temporary evidence in this temporal world, we accept and rejoice in the truth that we are blessed with everything we need eternally in Christ… “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). Living in Christ for eternity delivers us from worry about the needs of this day.

The treasure that frees us from this world is found in the life that Christ shapes. Earnest disciples are learning to become more like Christ rather than being conformed to the demands and expectations of this fallen world… “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Jesus exhorts us to let Him make us more like Him as we grow in discipleship… “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). Focus on becoming more like Christ frees us from the pressure to fit into this unholy world.

The treasure that frees us from this world is found in the life that Christ secures. Diligent disciples are learning to live beyond the persecutions and trials of today because of confidence that He guarantees our tomorrow… “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). Confidence in the One who secures our eternal future empowers us to live for Him every day.

As we grow up into Christ, trusting Him to sustain, shape, and secure us, we discover…

The Treasure that Frees Us.