By Tommy Rush
Recently my grandson received a metal detector as a gift for his 12th birthday. I enjoyed watching him and one of his sisters searching for treasures in the pasture behind our old barn. They were both convinced the new metal detector was all they needed to find their fortune. Our dog, “Buddy” enjoyed the treasure hunt as much as the kids even though finding a bone or old shoe would have satisfied him for life. It was funny every time the metal detector started beeping to see the dirt start flying. I’m not sure who could dig faster, a seven year old with a shovel convinced she had found a treasure or the dog that find his greatest joy digging in the dirt!
The idea of buried treasure has captivated people’s attention from the beginning of time. I suppose the idea of finding something that could immediately change your life is the main motivator for most treasure hunters. A few years ago I watched a documentary about Mel Fisher a man known as the world’s greatest treasure hunter. His most famous treasure find was the Spanish ship, “The Atocha” that sank in1622. In1973 after 15 long years of searching, Fisher found the ship and all the gold, silver and valuable cargo sitting undisturbed at the bottom of the ocean where it had been sitting for over 300 years. The estimated value of the treasure he found that day was $450 million.
Some people like Mel Fisher devote their entire lives to searching for treasure. Others like a farmer in England stumbled by accident upon their great treasure. In 1992 this English farmer borrowed a neighbor’s metal detector to search for a lost hammer head that had flown off the handle. While searching in frustration for his old rusty hammer head, he found a wooden box with old metal hinges and a lock buried in the ground. When he opened the box he found it filled with gold coins and old jewelry estimated to be worth over $3.8 million. I’m thinking he probably bought a new hammer that afternoon!
Deep down inside of everyone is a treasure hunting heart. However most people simply don’t realize that the greatest treasure they really long for is not the silver and gold of this world, but a personal relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In Matthew 13:44, Jesus describes the blessing of salvation by telling the story of a man who found a hidden treasure in a field one day and after finding the treasure he hid it, went home and sold all that he owned in order to purchase the field where the treasure was located. Jesus said the man was filled with joy over the great treasure he had found. He also knew that nothing he possessed in this world could ever compare or be of greater value. He was willing to let go of everything to gain the one thing that mattered the most.
Today is a good day to consider the treasures of your heart. What are you searching for and what are you willing to let go of in order to have it? The things of this world will never compare to the great treasure of knowing God! And Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds…” Matthew 7:7
