Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)
This builds on our previous post, Christ: Our Greatest Treasure (Part 1)
Disappointments are Real
Bishop J. C. Ryle (1816-1900) said: Christians must not expect everything to be smooth in our journey to heaven. We must not consider it strange if we have to endure sicknesses, losses, bereavements, and disappointments, just like other people. The Lord gives us free pardon and full forgiveness now, grace along the way to Heaven, and glory at the end! That’s what our Savior has promised. But He has never promised that we shall have no afflictions, distresses, or hurts.1
We feel disappointed or frustrated when we can’t get something we think we need. Or when we can’t get rid of something that troubles us. But it’s also an opportunity to ask: “What are we really living for?” CounseloJane Olson says that hard times show us our true priorities. We may say that we are living for Christ, but really be living for something else. When we are threatened by losing what we want most, we may become angry, fearful, or worse. That’s a clue that our priorities are wrong.2
Will we choose to interpret our circumstances based on what we hold to be true about God? Or will we judge what we hold to be true about God based on our circumstances? (Laura Story)3
Focus on Jesus
In Philippians 3:7-11 (above), the Apostle Paul knew that even if everything else was taken away—his freedom, his friends, and his life—nothing could rob him of Christ, his Treasure, Redeemer, and Friend. Paul was in prison when he wrote Philippians, and enemies were trying to destroy him. But Jesus had already saved Paul’s soul and given him righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Now nothing could take that away.
I want to be like Paul and treasure my Savior so much that all other desires take a lower place in my life. When circumstances are confusing or painful, living in God’s love means we trust that His heart toward us remains good, even when we can’t understand the painful things He allows.
Faith’s Checkbook
Charles Spurgeon’s book Faith’s Checkbook was first published in 1893, shortly after his death. It contains 365 daily reflections on the Scriptures, encouraging readers to “cash in” on the spiritual riches available to us. Each reading calls us to receive another taste of God’s love, comfort, and wisdom so that we trust Him more deeply.4
Spurgeon says that God’s promises in the Bible are like checks made payable to every believer. The Lord wants to give us good things. So we shouldn’t just read a paper check and put it away. We should cash it in! Likewise, Christians are to treat God’s promises as realities and take them to heart! That helps us to live each day anchored in the faithfulness of our Precious Savior!
Here are a few of the verses that Spurgeon studies in Faith’s Checkbook. They are like oxygen to the souls of Jesus’ people when we receive them by faith in Jesus!
Treasure Christ: He Fights for Us
The LORD your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. (Deuteronomy 20:4)
The LORD (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) goes with Christians today just as surely as He did with Old Testament Israel. We don’t fight our battles alone. Jesus said, “Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”5 We are not strong enough or courageous enough on our own. We are often weak and cowardly. So we treasure Christ because He is infinite in wisdom, power, and love. He is worthy of our complete confidence and is personally involved in every detail of our lives.
The Lord is stronger than everything that threatens us. So let’s not measure our situation without measuring God’s measureless presence and power. We face big challenges, but we never face anything that is greater than our LORD. Since He is for us (on our side), nothing can defeat us.6 Jesus goes with us; He is for us; and He is also able to save to the uttermost all who come to God through Him, since He always lives to pray for us.7 He is our Treasure.
Treasure Christ: He Will Not Desert Us
For the sake of His great name, the LORD will not reject His people, because He was pleased to make you His own. (1 Samuel 12:22)
Christ repeatedly promises that He will never abandon us. I need to hear that constantly. Our security does not depend on our ability to hold on to God, but on His determination never to let us go. Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand or My Father’s hand.8 The Lord calls us to be faithful to Him, but let’s be honest. We are inconsistent and unreliable, and so are other people. Thank God, our tripping up doesn’t nullify His trustworthiness. Paul said, “Even if we are not faithful, Christ remains faithful. He must be true to Himself.”9 God commits Himself to His people, and God keeps His commitments.
Notice another detail. The Lord was pleased to make us His own. He first loved us; He took the initiative. He did it freely; no one had to twist His arm. So we can face our failures, fears, and future with confidence because Jesus’ relationship to us is based on His perfect love, and not canceled by our imperfections. God the Father spoke from Heaven and said, “This is My Son, whom I love. With Him I am well pleased.”10 The Father is also well pleased with us who belong to Christ. He is our Treasure.
Treasure Christ: He Hears and Helps Us
The LORD has heard my cry for mercy and accepts my prayer. (Psalm 6:9)
All of Psalm 6 is wonderful, and it’s only 10 verses long. We don’t know what was happening in David’s life at that time. But he is distressed in his body and soul, worn out from groaning, weeping, and sadness. He is brokenhearted, but doesn’t turn inward in a self-destructive way. It’s dangerous to become absorbed in ourselves instead of turning outward and upward to God. Turning inward can magnify our problems and minimize the Lord’s mercy and might.
So David brings his fears and sorrows honestly to the LORD (all capitals in English Bibles). That’s the translation of the Hebrew name Yahweh, and David uses it 8 times in Psalm 6. It’s not wishful thinking; it’s not talking into emptiness. David is praying to the living God of the Scriptures who listens to us because He loves us. Yahweh means “I am who I am,” and the LORD calls us to keep our eyes and ears open, to listen to what He says (His words), and to watch (His actions) what He does in history.11
We ask God for mercy, never pretending that God owes us what we want. Daniel prayed, “We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy.”12 In His mercy, the LORD withholds the punishment we deserve and shows us compassion in our weakness and need. God’s mercy is more than a feeling. Jesus hears and helps, forgives and accepts, defends and delivers, supports and sustains, receives and restores, and patiently bears with us. He is our Treasure!
This Calls for Spiritual Discipline
We may not be materially wealthy like Texas Tom (mentioned in the previous posts), but let’s develop the discipline of meditating on Christ and all His benefits. Let’s ask other Christians to help us in this. Scripture says that people who love the Lord gather to encourage one another, and God listens to us and watches us! Sharpening each other in Christ is a precious privilege that refreshes us too.13
Our vault is already full, beloved. Jesus is the Treasure, and if we have Him, we have more than the whole world. Let’s encourage ourselves and others with all we have in Christ until He returns for us, as He has promised. We can count on Him!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, teach us to value You above everything else. We confess that we are so distracted by many other people and things. We are too enthralled by what we can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch with our physical senses. Remind us that all these things pass away and that You are the most precious One, the most lovely One. You are our Greatest Treasure.
Help us to experience our deepest satisfaction and security in You, so that we don’t wander after lesser things. Help us to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to show our love for You by loving, helping, and caring for our neighbors and even our enemies. Amen
Notes (various Bible translations): 1 Ryle’s Bible Commentary, The Gospel of Mark. 2 Reorienting Your Priorities, Nov 8, 2023, woh.org. 3 Laura Mixon Story Elvington is an American contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter. Billboard ranked her as the 40th Top Christian Artist of the 2010s. Laura and her husband Dave have suffered much, but still cling to Christ. Laura’s DVD studies include I Give Up; When God Doesn’t Fix It; and So Long, Normal: Living and Loving the Free Fall of Faith. You can learn more at laurastorymusic.com. 4 Faith’s Checkbook is available free at: www.spurgeongems.org/chs_faiths-check-book.pdf. 5 Matt 28:18-20. 6 Rom 8:31. 7 Heb 7:25. 8 John 10:28-30. 9 2 Tim 2:13. 10 Matt 3:17. 11 Adapted from Sinclair Ferguson, Knowing More of God, March 4, 2026, ligonier.org. 12 Dan 9:18. 13 Mal 3:16-18; Prov 27:17. See also The Art of One-Anothering: How the Church Loves Like Christ, by Scott Hubbard, April 16, 2023, desiringgod.org.