The Treasure Within

I read this story on Beliefnet.com by Victoria Osteen and wanted to share.

I read a story about a man who lived in a tiny apartment and died in extreme poverty. At one point in his life, he had even been homeless, living on the streets. This man never had any successes to speak of nor any noted victories. He lived and died as just another face in the crowd.

After the funeral, some family members went to his little run-down apartment to clear out his belongings. They found a painting hanging on the wall, so they decided to sell it at a garage sale. The woman who bought the picture took it to a local art gallery for an appraisal and was shocked to discover that the painting was extremely valuable. The piece of art that hung for so many years in a little run-down apartment was painted by a famous artist who lived in the early 1800s.

The woman decided to auction off that painting and ended up selling it for several million dollars.

Just think how that poor man’s life might have changed if he had known the value of what he possessed. He was a multimillionaire and didn’t even know it.

So many people live like that today with priceless treasure inside, and they don’t even know it. Scripture says that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He makes His home on the inside of us — a treasure far greater than anything this world has to offer! This is what Second Corinthians 4:7 means when it says, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” As believers in Jesus, the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us! We have a priceless treasure inside of us!

When we read, study and meditate on the Word of God, we are exploring that treasure within. The Word of God is your treasure map! We are tapping into what God has placed on the inside of us — the gifts, power and blessing through His precious Son, Jesus Christ.

I encourage you today; don’t settle for living a mediocre existence. When God created you, He created a masterpiece, a vessel in which to house the glory of God.

Every morning when you get out of bed, remind yourself, I have the same power that raised Christ from the dead living in me! I am the head and not the tail! I am positioned for victory in Jesus’ name! Make His Word your highest priority. Be determined to live a life of obedience to the Word of God so that you can partake of the eternal blessing He has in store for you!