MANY THINK THAT becoming a Christian is like joining a spiritual Marine Corp. “Just a few good men.” But Christianity is not primarily about self-discipline. It is about motivation. It is about a heart fully engaged in
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| Is Christ Your Treasure? |
pursuing life’s most exciting Treasure.
The Bible is all about spiritual riches. The apostle, Paul, saw the Christian religion this way. For Paul it was about the “riches of his glory” (Rom 9:23), the “riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7), and “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8-10). All of this Paul sums up in Colossians 2:3. Christ, “In whom are hidden all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge.”
Many Christians think that their problem is a lack of self-discipline. But a lack of self-discipline is seldom the problem. A lack of motivation is the problem. All motivated people are disciplined. All unmotivated people are undisciplined. We all pursue with great discipline whatever we are convinced will make us the most happy.
My point is that Christianity is a treasure hunt. Christ is the Treasure, but the discipline to pursue that Treasure doesn’t begin until the Believer connects knowing Christ with his or her happiness. When that happens self-discipline follows.
Illumination is the work of the Holy Spirit in the human soul that convinces us that all of our happiness is connected with knowing, loving, and serving Christ. That is why most of Paul’s prayers are for illumination. For example, see Eph 1:15-22 and 3:14-21.
So, let us pray fervently for illumination. We need to see Christ as our Treasure. To the degree that this happens the application of our self-discipline in the pursuit of our happiness in Christ will be extravagant.
