Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. (Matt. 6:21)
Recently, God has been speaking to me alot about value…what I value, along with where my value as an individual comes from. All of that should be wrapped up in Jesus, but if I am honest, I would have to say that there are times when I have allowed other things to slip into the seat of my utmost affections and there have been times when I have allowed people and circumstances to give me feedback about what my value is. The enemy will always try to distort the messages we receive, leaving us to conclude that we are ultimately not that valuable at all.
This week, a good friend and I were discussing the above verse and what it implies. This friend pointed out to me that whatever thing you treasure most is the thing you will be most afraid to lose. That simple truth sunk deep into my heart. The thing or person I treasure most is the thing I will look to most to affirm me and tell me what I’m worth. I will work tirelessly and without rest to hold on to my most prized treasure and I will entertain an underlying fear regarding what will happen should I ever lose it.
Ladies and gents, it is a dangerous thing when we allow ourselves to put any person or thing as number one in our lives. That is a position that belongs to Jesus and Jesus alone. It is He who defines our identity. It is He who defines our worth. The love and affirmation we receive from others will always be conditional. Even the most awesome people will have their bad days, go through their funks, be loving at moments and less loving at others. But Jesus stays the same yesterday, today and forever. He loves us with a love that is everlasting. We can find rest in security in Christ and Christ alone.
When we allow anything to take the place of Jesus in our lives, the things and the people that were designed to bless us can become more like a curse. We become consumed. We become controlled. We try to control. We invest all our time and energy trying to maintain something by our own strength that God always meant for us to entrust to Him and do together, with Him in the driver’s seat. We can become so fearful of losing that we aren’t even free to enjoy and rest in the blessings that God has given us.
When we make Jesus the treasure of our heart, we have the assurance that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). We know that He will be with us always (Matt. 28:20). He promises that nothing will ever separate us from His love (Rom. 8:38-39). We can put our treasure in God and that is a treasure we never have to have fear of losing.
When we make Jesus our greatest affection, it frees us to love others more. It frees us to be vulnerable and to build meaningful relationships, even if it means we risk sacrifice and hurt along the way. When we make Jesus our number one, we anchor ourselves in something so sturdy that even if we should lose something important to us or experience brokenness, we never lose ourselves, our worth or our identity in the process. We have given our hearts to the Lord to guard and to mend. Our hope is in His faithfulness.
