Lost Treasure

If you've followed my writing much at all, you've probably picked up on how important I believe Bible study and prayer to be. However, if you think I believe those are the most important things in my life, you would be mistaken. They are just activities that lead to the most important thing in my life - a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

It is so easy to mistake the means with the end, to believe that Bible study is the same as having a relationship with The Lord.  However, Bible study itself is just an academic pursuit that can leave you just as far from Christ as when you began. 

Consider what Jesus said to the religious leaders of his day: "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life" (Jn 5:39-40).

The problem is found in what we treasure. We tend to believe there is value in activity when the activity is only a means to gaining treasure. It may be a valuable acuity like church attendance, Bible study, giving money, prayer, writing a blog (hey, who put me in here) - whatever, but if it isn't moving us closer to Christ and increasing the intimacy of our relationship with Him, it's value is lost. 

Consider what Paul said, "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ" (Phil 3:7-8).  

When we focus on the activity we have lost sight of the Treasure, which is found only in Christ himself.  Jus' Sayn.