Saturday, March 22, 2014

What Do You Treasure Most?

Photo from CNN


A few days ago at a flea market in the Midwest, a scrap metal collector going through tough times bought a decorative gold egg containing a watch. The purchase price was $14,000, way beyond his means, but he thought he could get at least twice that for the weight of gold in the item, and he leveraged all his remaining assets to buy it.

But he had overestimated the weight of the gold, and he realized that his profit after melting it down would only be about $500 – hardly enough to rescue him from his dire financial straits. In desperation, he Googled “egg” plus "Vacheron Constantin," the name inscribed on the watch, and was amazed to learn he might be holding a rare collectible.

He took it to an art dealer who immediately recognized the great value of the piece, not for its gold content, but for its design, craftsmanship and beauty. The dealer realized it could only have been the work of Peter Carl Faberge, jeweler to the last Czar of Russia, and it fact it matched the description of one of the eight missing Imperial eggs that was designed in 1887 for the Czarina. 

Although the Czar had commissioned 50 of these jeweled eggs throughout his reign, to be given as Easter gifts to his family, only 42 had been retrieved after the bloody revolution in which the Royal Family was assassinated.

The price paid by the art dealer to the scrap metal collector was undisclosed, but the last Faberge egg to be sold at auction (in 2007) fetched over $30 million, even though it was a non-Imperial egg and therefore less valuable than those commissioned by the Czar. So even though the scrap metal dealer sold all he had to purchase the egg, it was by far the best investment of his lifetime.

It reminded me of Jesus’ parables about the kingdom of heaven, which is like treasure found and hidden in a field so that the man burying the treasure could buy the field (and the treasure!) by first selling all that he had. Jesus then told of the merchant who looked for expensive pearls, and when he had found one pearl of great price, sold all that he had to buy it (Matthew 13:44-46).

If we are not willing to sacrifice all that was once dear to us, how can we invest our life in serving Him? Only then can we experience the priceless rewards He longs to give His children (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13). If we were to own the whole world, it would mean nothing if we were to lose our soul to eternal punishment in hell (Matthew 16:25-26; Mark 8:35-37).

The tale of the Faberge egg got me thinking about how we measure value. At a flea market, very few bargain hunters, even the most shrewd, would dream of spending $14,000 on any purchase, no matter what the potential value. Why would the flea market vendor sell the egg so “cheaply,” without even researching the price of the gold alone? What if the scrap metal dealer had failed to realize what an invaluable treasure he held in his grasp?

And what if the Czarina could tell us of what that egg represented to her – a symbol of her family’s power, lavish lifestyle and opulent wealth? A token of her husband’s deep and passionate love for her? Did the beautiful watch within the golden egg mean that the Czar wanted to give her the gift of time, wishing their happiness would last forever? Or, as it was an Easter gift, did it remind her of the most precious gift of all: Our Savior’s death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), so that all who trust in Him would have eternal life in Heaven (John 3:16), where time can no longer be measured?

Much of the decoration of this art object suggests its religious significance. It is fashioned of gold, fit for the King (Matthew 2:11), and contains a timepiece, which is appropriate to the One Who controls time (Daniel 2:21; Acts 1:7). It is adorned with three sapphires and three golden garlands, which could represent the Trinity. A diamond is the opening mechanism revealing the watch, reminding me of the sapphire and diamond on the high priest’s ephod (Exodus 28:18; 39:11).and the jewel-like brilliance of Christ seated on the throne of glory (Revelation 4:3). The Faberge egg sits upright on an elaborate gold stand supported by lion paw feet, which might be a reference to Jesus Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5).

On the night that I heard this news I dreamed, ironically, that I really needed to sleep, because of important and taxing commitments I had the next day. But in the dream, I kept waking up because of a CD player. The first time I was sure I had shut it off before going to bed, until I was surprised by Charles Stanley’s voice preaching. This was no time for a sermon, I thought with irritation, because sleep was now my first priority.

In the dream, I flipped the power switch to “Off” and once more drifted into restless sleep, when I again heard God’s Word as delivered by one of my favorite preachers. But in my annoyance at being awakened once more, my thoughts toward him and his message were not exactly charitable. This time I yanked the power cord from the wall and resumed my tossing and turning.

But to no avail. I again “awoke” (still dreaming!) to the sound of Scripture, this time not read by Charles Stanley but in tones so rich and pure they sounded like crystal resonating. Fascinated, I followed the sound to a golden egg, which appeared to contain not only a timepiece but a musical movement playing Bible verses. I tenderly cupped the egg in my hands and pressed it to my chest, letting the Word resonate through my very being.

No longer dreaming, I arose feeling blessed and inspired. But then I shuddered to think how many times I had shut out my Lord’s voice because of concerns that seemed more pressing, unaware that I was quenching and grieving the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19; Ephesians 4:30). Sleep is valuable and necessary (Psalm 127:2), but how much more precious if He would speak to me! (1 Samuel 3:1-10)

What an awesome blessing when He awakens me with songs or visions in the night (Job 35:10; 4:13; Psalm 42:8; 77:6; Genesis 46:2; Daniel 7:13), perhaps laying a burden on my heart to pray for someone’s specific need, or giving me the long awaited solution to a problem, or even a new direction to follow

How often do we put God’s voice on “pause,” or “off,” valuing the empty chatter of the world more than His Word that is our daily bread and guiding light? (Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3; Psalm 119:105) Even worse, what if we place more worth on our independence than on our relationship with Him? If we attempt to disconnect from our ultimate Power source, we will be as useless as branches yanked away from the True Vine (John 15:1-8).

What do we value most? Do we worship the idol of wealth accumulation (Luke 12:15-21), only to have it stolen or corrupted (Matthew 6:19-20), or to find that we have no time left (James 4:14; Job 14:1) to enjoy our hoard? Do we pour all our energy into making a living rather than seeking new life?

We should not worry about our physical needs (Psalm 37:25), for He is the ultimate Provider (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13; James 1:17). All we have to do is seek Him first, and we will give us His Kingdom and all that we need (Luke 12:22-32), granting us the desires of our heart as they align with His perfect will (Psalm 37:4).

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Praise God that at the moment of salvation, His Holy Spirit enters our heart (2 Corinthians 1:22;5:5; Ephesians 1:14), which is the most precious gift imaginable. If we allow Him, He will write His mercy and truth on the tablet of our heart. His wisdom far outshines gold, silver and jewels, adding longevity, riches and honor to our life (Proverbs 3:13-16).

He makes us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), transforming us from scrap metal fit for the junk heap to His finely crafted workmanship, destined for His ultimate purpose (Ephesians 2:10). No longer need we fear time running out on our earthly days, for He has conquered death (1 Corinthians 15:26,55-57) and given us eternity with Him!

May we always hide His Word in our heart that we might not sin against Him! (Psalm 119:11) May we treasure Him above all else!


© 2014 Laurie Collett
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25 comments:

Nadwrażliwiec said...

I believe that God can make golden egg from garbage. We were like dirty trash, but blood of Christ changed us into gold treasure. Greetings from flowering Cracow!

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Zim! Praise God that He did not discard us, but transformed us! From your blog photo, it looks like flowering Cracow is beautiful indeed! Greetings & blessings to you,
Laurie

Brenda said...

Lovely post Laurie, and very truthful dream. How important it is for us to put the word of God as the most valuable possession we could have in this world. That is where the true riches are.
God bless

mail4rosey said...

I have been taking great measures to ensure I teach my youngest how to pray, talk to God, etc. I want to make it as easy for him as possible to want to hear God, and know that's more important than so many other things.

That's funny that Charles Stanley was in your dream. He's my favorite from the television, but he comes on so late I rarely get to hear him.

Anonymous said...

Laurie, that is the neatest story!!! Love how you correlated it with the Word! Thank you! hugs~

Denise said...

Wonderful post.

Frank E. Blasi said...

Dear Laurie,
I recall several nights when at around 1 o,clock am, the CD player on our Hi Fi would suddenly turn itself on while we were in bed upstairs. Then I decided to remove any disc in the player before bedtime. Again at 1 am, the radio suddenly came on, tuned in to a station, which was odd, because I left the radio untuned when we installed it.
Supernatural occurance? I don't know, but when I moved the equipment to the other end of our lounge, the phenomenon stopped.
As for earthly treasures, I have learned to take a light view of them, as we never know when our time is up, leaving everything behind - Luke 12:12-21.
Lovely egg though! God bless.

Laurie Collett said...

Thank you, Brenda, as always, for your kind words of encouragement. There is no greater gift than Jesus -- the Word -- Who died to give us eternal life. On our earthly journey, His recorded Word is our guide, strength and comfort.
God bless you,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

That's wonderful, Rosey, that you are teaching your son how to pray! May God bless you in this most important guidance, and reward you richly for parenting according to His Word.
Love in Christ,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thank you, Denise, and God bless!
Laurie

Joy said...

Amen Laurie. Beautiful, inspiring and encouraging words.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Cathy, and you're very welcome!
Love & hugs to you,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Dear Frank,
That's interesting! Certainly God could use instances like these to get our attention, or, alternatively, Satan could to distract us (but only if God allowed it). Or there may be some other natural explanation not requiring supernatural intervention (although, with God, there are no coincidences). As I mentioned in my recent blog post, Home Again, when my mother-in-law passed, her daughter and son-in-law were startled that the IPod in her purse turned itself on, playing "No Regrets," which was the last song my mother-in-law had listened to before passing.
As Christians, we have so many spiritual blessings now and so much to look forward to in eternity that there is no need to concern ourselves with earthly treasures.
Thanks as always for sharing your insights.
God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thank you, Joy, for your kind and uplifting comment!
May you have a blessed week in Him,
Laurie

Ceil said...

Hi Laurie! What a story about the Faberge egg! Love the photo too. My husband and I watch "Storage Wars" sometimes, so I understand the risk vs reward that some people take.

But I love how you wove that story into Scripture. And it got me thinking about what I would give for his blessings. They are free, but also priceless. Nothing I could give would be good enough...
Wonderful piece. I hope you weren't tired for your commitments the next day?
Ceil

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Ceil! Salvation is the most precious gift, yet free; priceless, yet paid for by the greatest price ever paid -- the suffering, sin-bearing and death of Christ Himself.
God empowered me for the tasks at hand the next day -- He is faithful, and His strength is made perfect in our weakness!
Thanks as always for your lovely comment, and my you have a wonderful week in Him,
Laurie

a joyful noise said...

Thank you for sharing with us here at “Tell Me a Story.” I loved the egg story and always enjoy your dreams and their significance. We give Jesus our old tattered life and he gives us His new and valuable life to live through us.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Hazel, for your sweet comment! Praise God that His saving grace transforms us into His treasured children!
Love in Christ,
Laurie

Donald Fishgrab said...

How many of us don't bother toe find out what we have in Christ, settling for the five hundred the man would have made by scrapping the egg because we are so focused only on one aspect.

Great article.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Donald! May we not be so shortsighted that we accept the world's value system, while overlooking the priceless treasure we have in Him.
God bless,
Laurie

Anonymous said...

I love history. When I heard about the egg being found, I thought how awesome to hold something with such a story - because I believe they were people of faith - and that they recognized the story like you describe. They struggled with their faith just like we do. I so enjoyed this post from the beginning to the end - it was like feast - so many wonderful things in it!

Katherines Corner said...

Thank you for sharing your lovely blog at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop xo

Laurie Collett said...

Thank you so much, bluecottonmemory, for your very sweet comment! If only artifacts could speak! But they do have much to tell us, and I agree that this art treasure does reflect their faith, which must have been severely challenged in their last days.
May you have a blessed week in Him,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

You're very welcome, Katherine, & thanks for your comment & fot hosting!
God bless

Jennifer said...

How often I don't value the truly valuable until it is too late.