It’s a Chest Filled with Treasure

Robert and Betty Fooks simply wanted more headroom for their bathroom in their farmhouse in West Dorsett, England.  So one evening five years ago, as Robert was digging in the bathroom to deepen their floor, his pickax hit a pottery bowl.  When the bowl broke open, it revealed about 100 coins that dated back to the English Civil War.  

The coins, which included gold coins from James I and Charles 1 and other coins from the reigns of Elizabeth I, Philip, and Mary, were apparently hidden sometime between 1642 and 1644 to keep either of the Parliamentarian or Royalist troops from stealing the money.  And evidently the money was hidden so well that after the fighting ceased the owners either forgot to retrieve it or forgot where it was hidden.  And it lay under the floor of the farmhouse for almost four centuries until the Fooks decided to do their home improvement project.  (In case you are wondering, the coins were sold last year for about $75,000.)

Buried treasure.  Hidden treasure.  Discovered treasure.  It’s the stuff of young men’s dreams.  But no one ever really thinks they will discover such treasure.

Yet there are even greater treasures available every day for the believer in Christ.  They are not hidden.  But they do take work to uncover.  They are the riches of wisdom and power that are found in the Word of God.  

The Bible is a source of everything the believer needs in this life to live godly and wisely (2 Pt. 1:3).  The Bible is authoritative — it commands obedience and submission. And it is powerful — it produces change in those who heed it.  What is it powerful to do?  

• It has the power to save — and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. (1 Pet. 2:24)
• It has the power to sanctify —“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (Jn. 17:17)
• It has the power to satisfy — How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Ps. 119:103)
• It has the power to guide — Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. (Ps. 119:105)
• It has the power to strengthen — “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” (Josh. 1:8)
• It has the power to equip — All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
• It has the power to sustain — But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Matt. 4:4)
• It has the power to evaluate and condemn — It will “…judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12b)

This is what the Word of God will do in you.  

But the Word must be mined for its truth.  It must be read.  It must be meditated on.  It must be remembered.  And it must be acted on and obeyed.  These acts take discipline and work.  Hard work.  Thomas Watson stated and then asked, “Things that are excellent deserve labour. Will not a man dig for gold in the ore though it makes him sweat?”  Will digging for the truth of God’s Word require disciplined labor?  Yes.  But it will also reveal the treasure of His wisdom and grow you in His wisdom and knowledge (2 Pt. 3:18).  

What is your plan for reading and meditating on Scripture this year?  If you don’t have a plan, start by at least making a plan for a daily intake of the Word of God.  We have made available three plans to help you get started:

• 2026 Through The Bible Reading Guide
• 2026 Old Testament Reading Guide
• 2026 New Testament Reading Guide

And then having read the Bible each day, meditate on one thing you can think about from that Word each day and do one thing because of what you read each day.  And if you are faithful to read and act on what you read, at the end of 2026 you will find your life to have increased immeasurably in spiritual riches.