Where Your Treasure Is
On a hot, July summer day in 2021, a man discovered some 158 bowling balls in his backyard during an outdoor renovation. It was during the demolition, around the back steps of his house, that Olson discovered a black sphere buried in the sand behind some cinder blocks.
"That was one of the bowling balls," he said. "I didn't think a whole lot of it. I was kind of assuming maybe there were just a couple in there just to fill in. The deeper I got into it, the more I realized it was just basically an entire gridwork of them making up the weight in there."
As Olson continued digging, he uncovered ball after ball. It finally clicked how this treasure of rusted, cracked, dirty balls got there. There used to be a bowling ball manufacturing plant nearby in Muskegon, Michigan.
The balls were from the 1950s, which meant they were 80 years old. Although useless as bowling balls, they still had value to some. Olson plans to use the balls as edging for his landscaping or to make sculptures. He has also donated eight balls for use by a church in a bowling ball cannon at a pig roast. His stepfather also plans to use them as custom furniture legs.
In this story, it was the heart of the recipient that determined the value of the treasure. One saw edging for their landscaping, another a bowling ball cannon, and yet another, legs for their furniture. The point is the real value isn't in the treasure we unearth but in how we use it.
Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).
Make Your Meter Run Backwards
Have you ever thought about putting solar panels on your home? Did you know that if you do, you can actually make your meter run backward? On a bright sunny day, as the sun beats down on the panels and they produce more energy than you can use, the surplus causes the bi-directional meter to run backward.
Instead of paying for electricity, the electric company credits you for the extra.
Each of us is given a stewardship of grace. Those who are faithful stewards will produce more light than those who are poor stewards, both now and in eternity.
Daniel wrote, "Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever" (Daniel 12:3).
The greater glory with which the faithful will shine in their resurrected state is God's way of crediting it back to them.
To Have More Learn To Be Content With Less
Emmie Martin on CNBC reports:
"Best known for his roles in movies such as 'National Treasure' and 'Leaving Las Vegas,' Nicolas Cage was once a top earner in Hollywood, worth $150 million. But Cage didn't hold on to his fortune for long. He squandered it away on a string of expensive and often eccentric purchases, eventually facing foreclosure on several properties and owing the IRS 6.3 million in property taxes. Now worth around $25 million, Cage is taking roles left and right to help pay off his debts."
What does she mean by 'expensive purchases'? Try 15 residences (yes, all at once), two European castles, a deserted island in the Bahamas, a 9-foot-tall pyramid-shaped burial tomb, numerous shrunken heads, a pet octopus, and to cap it all off, a $276,000 dinosaur skull that turned out to be stolen and had to be returned to the Mongolian government. Mr. Cage, known for his adept portrayal of eccentric figures, appears to have a touch of that in his own private life. Yet there's more to learn from his example than merely being more cautious with our money.
In fact, the Bible tells us that those who fail to place the highest priority on honoring and worshipping God will tend toward impoverishment. The prophet Haggai chastened the Israelites returning from Babylonian captivity for lavishly furnishing their own homes rather than rebuilding God's Temple, first. He said, "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough ...You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it" (Haggai 1:5-6).
On the other hand, 1 Timothy 6:6-7 reminds us, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires...."
That's wisdom meant for you and me, not just for the likes of Nicolas Cage.