Craig Clouston

The Greatest Treasure of All

When a man found it, he hid it again … and sold all he had and bought that field.
Matthew 13:44

Chris turned off the trail and struck out in a more direct line toward home. He’d never been through this part of the forest, but he was tired and wanted to get home. As he ventured on, he recalled stories from childhood his father had told about people getting lost in this part of the woods.
Pressing on, Chris came upon an old stone foundation. It appeared to have been a large structure in its day. His weariness momentarily forgotten, Chris decided to investigate.
Walking the foundation’s perimeter, Chris discovered the entrance to an old cellar. It appeared to have been covered by dirt and weeds until recently when the rotting wood had given way, sagging into the stairway and revealing the cellar’s existence.
Pulling a flashlight from his pack, he carefully descended the rickety steps.
Chris stood in shocked awe. The beam illuminated shelves lining all four walls. On those shelves were crates of paintings, firearms, stacks of Confederate money, and silver tea sets.
“Someone’s Civil War plunder!” he said in hushed amazement.
Determining to keep this a secret, Chris gently placed the old door back in place and sifted dirt over it. He would find out who owned this property and do whatever was necessary to purchase it!

†

Like the man in today’s parable, Chris had to sell everything he owned to purchase his hidden treasure; his investment was but a fraction of the return.
Chris was quite fortunate; he hadn’t set out looking for treasure, only a quicker way home. He could have continued on in his haste; instead he chose to investigate. The cellar door could have remained covered, or the cellar could have been empty. But they weren’t, and a great treasure was discovered!
God’s Word reveals the greatest treasure of all: salvation with eternal life!
God’s desire is that we would stop along life’s journey, investigate the treasure’s value, and then decide for ourselves if the return is worth the investment.

Prayer

“Lord, lead me into my inheritance. Reveal its value to my heart that I would seek nothing more and settle for nothing less. Amen.”