Treasures are not only minerals; God has molded men as treasures of the earth. In Paul’s epistle to the church in Corinth, he made a clear statement: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Treasures are valuable assets that bring a lot of benefits to the individual in possession. They raise an individual’s standard of living, making him a person of value and essence.
Imagine a rich man gifts you his precious gold and diamonds. How are you going to feel? I am sure you will be overly excited and enthused about owning such precious minerals. That is to say, if one is wealthy, he can meet almost all of his wants and needs. I have never seen a rich man who cannot afford his or her basic needs, provided he has the purchasing power to do so.
As Christians born of the Spirit, God, according to His rich knowledge and wisdom, has endowed in every man upon the surface of this earth His divine treasure for the purpose of maturing the saints, perfecting the saints, and the edification of the body of Christ.
In Matthew 25:14–15: “Again, the kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last, dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.” Interestingly, we all cannot have the same proportion of treasures in life, but regardless of the amount of treasure that is in our custody, we have to appreciate it and use it accordingly, since God knows best what our capabilities could hold.
This does not merely imply that one is more important than the other. God has only made us in many parts into one body. We are all an important treasure for His service. If one part is to suffer, all other parts will suffer too, and if one part is honoured, the other parts will also be glad. We only find ourselves differentiating in our abilities, which defines our uniqueness in the kingdom of God (the body of Christ). 1 Corinthians 12:4: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord; there are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”
Practically, imagine you have three children: one is an adult, the second is a child, and the third is a neonate (a newborn baby). Note that all of these are your children, and so you place importance on them all. You are supposed to get one to learn to drive a car. Who are you going to teach? I am very sure you will call on your adult child. Why? Because he has the ability to learn the skill maturationally, unlike the child and the neonate. As the Scripture says, “He gave according to our ability.” There is no way you can give more than you have. Deuteronomy 16:17: “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.”
Metaphorically, a treasure is like a seed. If a seed is given to you and you decide to keep it to yourself without making use of it, it remains only a seed. On the other hand, if one decides to plant the seed in the soil, it germinates to become a plant, then grows further to become a tree, and finally bears fruit. One seed can eventually make a forest. It is the same with possessing a treasure: the treasure finds its power of multiplication in its usage.
For example, if you have an amount worth GHS 2,000.00 and you don’t invest it—either by buying shares, treasury bills, etc.—and decide to keep the amount to yourself, you will have the same amount without anything profitably made in many years to come. Proverbs 28:8: “Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.” His kingdom business promises to expand your treasure at the end.
Who is ready for this investment? Don’t be like the last servant who hid his treasure in the ground, profiting nothing at the end. At last, when the master came, he was punished and cast into the lake of fire. When the other servants who received such a treasure did nothing else but invested it profitably, the king honored them.
God only gave gifts to the church; as to how you might use the gift depends on you. But the only thing we should know is that it is to give honor and glory to Him. Otherwise, you might also end up disastrously by wasting the treasure or the seed of God, which is His gift. Let us remember the clarion call of God to do His work, for which He has endowed us with profitable treasures in our unique abilities inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, we are the divine treasure of God manifested on earth and called to possess the nations regardless!
Written by Deacon Humphrey Danso Bamfo (Asofan English Assembly, Asofan District)
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