Are You Sleeping on Spiritual Riches?
In a world where we’re constantly seeking fulfillment through various means, it’s easy to overlook the true riches we have access to as followers of Jesus. Just like the Israeli woman who accidentally threw away her mother’s life savings hidden in a mattress, we often fail to recognize the bountiful blessings we’ve been given. Consequently, we spend our lives squandering these riches, complaining about our circumstances, and growing angry with life, without fully realizing the wealth we possess.
The culture of simply playing church or talking about Jesus, rather than living out the reality of His lordship and saviorhood, has led many to walk away from the faith. However, what they’re walking away from is not the actual followership of Jesus, but something else entirely. Throughout history, there have been instances where people who professed to follow Jesus became caught up in things that seemed spiritual but were not transformative. In every age, there’s a falling away, but God always preserves a remnant—a group of people who actively follow Jesus in such a way that they are transformed and become a picture of God’s rule and reign on earth.
As followers of Jesus, we should demand from our leaders not just words about faith but a lived-out faith where the Bible is taught, the gospel is proclaimed, and the values of love and maturity are truly lived. We should be challenged to live in love as if the spiritual blessings given to us in Christ are truly infinite, available, and to be lived out now. We have what we need in Christ, and it’s not limited to a set of programs or performances on Sunday, nor is it found in the world’s relative religious systems where a person’s happiness is paramount.
The enemy is a skilled marketer, convincing us that the counterfeit version of faith is better than the real thing. Some of us have exchanged the genuine article for a bootleg version, succumbing to the pressure to follow a series of tactics or rub the proverbial lamp to get three wishes, thinking that if we just get it right, everything will be good. But true transformation doesn’t come from external changes or worldly acceptance of our brokenness; it starts internally, in our own hearts and souls. We must deal with the question of whether following Jesus is truly bringing transformation and change in our lives, or whether we’ll settle for something that seems better than Jesus.
Don’t fall into the enemy’s marketing and cut yourself loose from something that is ultimately more secure than anything in this world. The counterfeit version of faith that’s so often sold to us can’t sustain us; it can’t hold us when the pressures of life pile up. True healing and acceptance come only from a secure person—Jesus—who can stand in the gap for us, see our weaknesses, and engage with them without fear, spending the time necessary to truly heal us.
Jesus is our better hope because we have a secure, eternal connection through Him. He is able to serve as our priest, rescue us as our Savior, and love us as our Lord because He conquered death itself. The great news is that Jesus will outlast you, so if you have a burden for your kids or family members, even when you get it wrong, Jesus will get it right. He can be the intermediary for them, just as He has been for you. Lots of sin? Jesus has more grace. Lots of shame? Jesus has more righteousness.
Jesus is the guarantor of the covenant, securing our eternal connection. The law was never meant to secure that connection; it was a signpost pointing to the fact that someone and something would ultimately have to secure it. Christ is the guarantee of this covenant, and Christians can be assured that all the blessings of this new reality will be applied to them because Jesus stands in the gap. We don’t have to go to a place and offer sacrifices because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. We don’t have to control all the right things because Christ is sufficient, and God’s covenant promise cannot fail because God’s priest, Jesus Christ, cannot fail.
This hope is better because the outcome has already been achieved. We can draw near to God right now, knowing that He’s not at a distance or hidden behind a curtain. We don’t have to search for Him; He’s available right now. We can draw near to Him by simply saying, “Lord, help me. I see you, and I need you.” When we start to realize the benefits and blessings that are already available to us, it gives us hope—a driving and sustaining force because we’ll only do difficult things long enough in the way they demand to be done if we have hope that there will be some end to the difficulty, that there’s going to be a reward or an applause, or that what we did was ultimately effective. But we can only do this out of a response to what has already been done for us.
Jesus says, “Let me take care of that negotiation.” As the guarantor of the covenant, He stands for both parties, ensuring that the agreement stands as good. We don’t have to work to stay in the covenant; it’s a response to what Christ has already done. We have to resist the temptation to justify ourselves, which gives us the ability to rest and the ability to work because we recognize that Jesus stands in the gap. We can pursue maturity, strengthen our connection with Him, and allow His signal to come through.
Living with the knowledge that we can’t even mediate well for ourselves sometimes, we can lean on simple phrases or reminders to reframe our perspective and respond in relationships not out of fear, guilt, or shame, but out of hope, knowing our identity is secure in Christ. A helpful prayer to reorient ourselves is:
“Because I am in Christ, there is nothing I have done that can make you love me less, and nothing I can do that would make you love me more. You, Lord, are all I need for everlasting joy. As you have been to me, so I will be to others. And as I pray all, do so according to the compassion you’ve shown at the cross and the power you’ve demonstrated through the resurrection.”
The measure by which we live life is found in our eternal priest, Jesus, who never fails and establishes that connection, steadying us in an unsteady world. By recognizing and living out of the true riches we have in Christ, we can experience the abundant life He has promised and become a signpost pointing others to the ultimate source of hope and transformation.