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… This is the same God who made His light shine in our hearts to let us know that His own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us. (Easy-to-Read Version) 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

Alright, the title may be hopelessly ambitious (and/or pretentious) for a short article. How can these few lines do justice to such a deep and wide subject? Perhaps not. But often a quick look at the big picture is enough to highlight a major disconnect with what we have been doing at the micro level.

In a sense, that is what happens every time we pray. But for me, the Meaning of Life has loomed larger in recent weeks with both a birth and a death in my extended family. Of course, although those events touched a few people, Hong Kong “life” continued to hurtle along its usual hectic and self-absorbed manner as if nothing had changed, paying no attention to the big picture of what “Life” is for or about.

And we followers of Christ generally act in the same way, although in our case we know perfectly well that Life is all about being in relationship with God: as today’s verses stress, He gave us the treasure of knowing Christ, and it is a light intended to be seen. But we tend to bury this treasure until a personal connection or emotion pulls us aside and makes us pause, think more deeply, reset our perspective, and change our behaviour.

So I have been reminded that in God’s economy, treasure is for showing, not burying—and it is an urgent assignment since so many lives are ending daily without having understood their meaning and accepted Christ, and our own time is also short. Personally, in terms of behavioural change, this has challenged me to be more active in inviting colleagues to church, being helpful with needs I become aware of, and praying for those with such needs.

This was further reinforced by Pastor Albert’s sermon two Sundays ago, reminding us to be active sowers of the seed (i.e. the Gospel) during the week. How about you? Have you been burying your treasure out of sight? What are the neglected sowing opportunities in your life? Which type of soil are you?

Let us not bury our treasure but live out the meaning of life by:

• Thanking God for the treasure of faith in Christ; and,
• Asking God to help us find and grasp opportunities to share our spiritual treasure with others.