TREASURE

The discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley in early 1848 sparked the Gold Rush, arguably one of the most significant events to shape American history during the first half of the 19th century. As news spread of the discovery, thousands of prospective gold miners traveled by sea or over land to San Francisco and the surrounding area; by the end of 1849, the non-native population of the California territory was some 100,000 (compared with the pre-1848 figure of less than 1,000). A total of $2 billion worth of precious metal was extracted from the area during the Gold Rush, which peaked in 1852.

According to my friend , Google, Gold was first discovered near us in the Dahlonega area in 1828, twenty years before the Gold Rush to California. When it was discovered it was completely by accident – when a deer hunter, Benjamin Parks, tripped over a rock 2 ½ miles south of what is now Dahlonega. He got to looking at it and it was full of gold.

We are so fascinated by stories of finding buried treasure.  We become thrilled with the possibilities of what we could do if we discovered treasure--how it would make a difference in our lives, how we could make a difference in the lives of others.  We often speculate what we would do if we won the lottery. And, if we have given our lives to Jesus, we think what we could do for the kingdom, for other believers ,for the sick and the poor if only we had won the lottery or found a treasure in our yard.

And yet there is a treasure sometimes buried and hidden that we have been given. You can't use it up or squander it.  Paul speaks of it in a letter written to the church in Corinth.  Let’s dig deeper.

 1 Corinthians 4:8

…We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We as believers have died to ourselves, and our bodies (jars of clay) have become vessels to be used for God’s purposes.  We, as the body of Christ, have His mind, His heart, His love, His mercy, His wisdom and His discernment all in the Spirit that has been made alive in us. This treasure far exceeds all the gold, all the lotteries, all the buried treasures.

In this study, I would like to expound on that treasure in an acrostic using the word TREASURE and search the scriptures to learn more about all that is already yours if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior.