In the various facts of the information, we are regularly told about people who have discovered treasures, such as antique objects, gold, ancient art objects, etc ... A few years ago with Rachel we bought an old house to renovate, everything had to be redone, so we destroyed everything to keep only the walls. We also dug the garden to make the terrace and various installations. I must confess to you that deep down I was hoping to find some treasure in this old building ... Unfortunately, that was not the case. However, it seems that we all have a certain aspiration within us to want to discover treasures. This is normal, because God created us like this, He wants to make us treasure hunters!
An important thing to begin with is to know what you are looking for, because one of the peculiarities of a treasure is that it is hidden ... The Bible reveals something important to us, it is that when God has everything created, He put man in a place where there was much gold, precious stones and riches (cf. Genesis 2: 11-12). The real treasure for God at Creation was Man and still is today. We also see that in eternity the streets will be paved with gold and that gold, precious stones and pearls will be present in abundance (cf. Revelation 21: 10-21). The true wealth for God in heaven is man, it is for this reason that Christ chose to leave the glory of heaven and be reduced to the condition of a man to die on the cross in our place in order for us. allow to be reconciled with God and to live eternity with Him (cf. John 3:16). Man is the most important value for God and so it must be for us His disciples.
This means that your life is a treasure, and seeking treasures is to focus on the people around us to allow them to become what God has chosen them to be. Barnabas of whom it is spoken in the verse above is an example of this… He is a real treasure hunter, He had seen dear John Mark what no one had seen and that is why he wanted to take him with him to this missionary journey. Because so that the treasures that are hidden in people's lives can be revealed and that the world around them benefits - because a treasure is always to be shared with the world - it is necessary to invest time and yourself ... Jesus called His disciples because He had seen treasures in them (cf. Matthew 4:19) yet He spent three years with them before Peter the fisherman became Peter the fisher of men.
Sometimes these treasures are far from being obvious to the people around us, that's what happens here ... Paul does not want to take Jean Marc with them, because the latter had already abandoned them on their first trip ( cf. Acts 13:13). We can understand the prejudices that Paul had against Mark and yet Barnabas did not let go. he saw a treasure in Mark's life and he wanted this treasure to be discovered. If you read the rest of this verse you will see that the dissent was so strong between the two that they had to separate… However Barnabas did discover the treasure, Mark entered into his call and decided it. Paul will later tell of Mark that he is very useful for the service (2 Tim. 4:11). Fortunately, Barnabas stood firm!
This is how the Church developed from the beginning, Jesus discovered treasures in the person of His disciples. Barnabas did it with Paul (cf. Acts 11:25), John Mark and certainly others, Paul did it with Silas (cf. Acts 15:40), Timothy and many others… And this continues all throughout the history of the Church up to you today… Maybe you need to find a Barnabas to become the person God chose you to be… But certainly you need to look around about you, the Jean Marc who are there. To know how to give up your prejudices and your prejudices, but also to decenter yourself to decide to invest in others ...
Discovering the treasures in the lives of others and allowing them to become what God desires and has planned is certainly the most fulfilling thing in life… There is such joy in seeing others succeed and be successful . I would like to challenge you to take time before God to ask Him to give you faith and a prophetic gaze on those around you so that you see the richness that is attached to their call (cf. Ephesians 1:18 ). So become this treasure hunter, there are people around you who have such treasures in their lives and who are waiting for you to free them… So go ahead!
God blessed you richly so that you bless abundantly ...
Luke
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