Lasting Treasure

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John 21:25

How does your digital clutter compare to recent surveys? It shows that the average person has over 1,000 unread emails, 12 unread text messages, 17 unread social media notifications, 15 open browser tabs, 9 unused phone apps, 2 pending software updates, and 11 other unread app messages. If you often get overwhelmed by clutter, the good news is that over 31% of people have spent money to upgrade to devices with more storage. The bad news is that 77% of people feel digital clutter negatively affects their lives. (Information from an article by Josh Koebert, All About Cookies)

I don’t know where you stand in the digital clutter world, but I will say I am above average. Sometimes, I clean out my email inbox, but not every day. Maybe what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote over 300 years ago still applies today to the world’s digital clutter: “Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.” The issue isn’t that our email boxes are cluttered, but that we live in a world with so much information that we can’t process it all. Digital clutter keeps expanding because technology keeps adding ways to store it.

Yesterday, or Easter Sunday, depending upon when you read this post, we celebrated a risen Savior. Churches were packed with people worshipping Jesus, who brought hope to a dying world. Sunday reminded us of his final words from the cross, words that forever challenged us to live a life fully surrendered to Him.

Scripture contains a wealth of truth that points us to salvation in Jesus, including the prophecies of His coming, the history of God’s story, the Psalms of worship, and Proverbs for living a godly life. It is truth that is ageless. What an amazing comparison to our world filled with digital clutter, especially in light of reading John’s ending: “I suppose even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)

I would almost guess that most of the digital clutter on our electronic devices will end up in the great digital trash can—information needed for the moment but with little future value.  The Bible, however, contains a life-giving, life-changing, and life-sustaining message.  Dwight Moody wrote, “The Bible was not given for our information, but for our transformation.”

Even though we will never know all the additional stories that Jesus told, what we do know is a treasure hoard beyond anything we can imagine. As we read the Bible, the treasure is not found in what we don’t have but in what is written.

What we do know is that the recorded words of Jesus bring wisdom. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

What we do know is that Jesus’ words brought amazement. “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching.” Matthew 7:28

What we do know is that no one can top Jesus. “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” John 7:46

What we do know is that Jesus left specific directions for eternal life. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.“ John 6:68

Paul Dayes found life-changing words reading John 5:24, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” Dayes was in both a physical and spiritual prison. He had been in and out of prison since he was 14. He was serving a prison term for robbery when he encountered Jesus.

Dayes said in an interview, “I remember having the urge to read the Bible. I don’t know why.”  The problem was that he didn’t have access to a Bible. However, the next morning, coincidence or miracle, when he stepped out of his cell, there was a brand-new Gideon Bible lying on the radiator. Dayes started reading, and as he read Matthew 9:13, he came across the verse, “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  He said, “It spoke straight to my heart, and I found myself praying the sinner’s prayer and gave my life to Christ.” After his release, Teen Challenge helped him, through their substance abuse program, escape his addiction.  (information from an article by Charles Gardner)

“When we submit our lives to what we read in Scripture, we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but our stories in God’s. God is the larger context and plot in which our stories find themselves.” (Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book)

As we finished celebrating Easter, we were once again reminded of the great hope we have in Jesus. In Him, the world will never be the same. Easter marked the beginning of change; circumstances and people will never be the same. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35

God is great!