The Treasure Within

Acts 5:12–23

“The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”

Like the Apostles and believers in the early church let us strive to be highly regarded by the people (v. 13), by our communities, our neighbourhoods, and places of work. We gain this by integrity, excellence, and compassion. This way, we bring God glory and our witness will be far more effective and people will see Christ through our lives. But life isn’t always smooth-sailing and more often than not our sinful human nature takes over when frustrations, stress, all the cares of the world and daily living, and in other times the pressure to conform to the pattern of the world, all weigh us down and make us go about in less than ideal ways. We can hold fast to our values, however, struggle to never compromise our faith, pray and seek God’s strength coming from within us and persist and persevere like the Apostles did. The Gospel, the message of the life, death, and resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ is that hope and power within us through the ministry of God’s Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul said: “Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us. We are pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (II Cor 4:7-9).” I read in Our Daily Bread that St. Paul “describes the truth of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection as a treasure, carried about in the frail humanity of God’s people. That treasure enables those who trust in Him to bear up under unthinkable adversity and continue in their service. When they do, His light—His life—shines brightly through the “cracks” of their humanness.” He encourages us all not to “lose heart” (II Cor 4:16) because God strengthens us to do His work, to excel, to live lives well-lived, to glorify Him. Kirsten Holmberg of Our Daily Bread continues, “when God’s strength shines through us, it invites others to ask, “What’s inside?” We can then unzip our hearts and reveal the life-giving promise of salvation in Christ. Thank You, LORD, for saving me. Please shine Your light brightly through my broken life so others will be invited to know You too.”