What is Your Treasure Really Worth

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” — Matthew 6:21 (NIV)

The other day, I was driving home from church listening to K-LOVE when I heard something that absolutely blew my mind. Someone had paid approximately $14 MILLION for a basketball jersey worn by Michael Jordan! Now, if you know me, you know I LOVE Michael Jordan! And if you’ve ever told me you’re an MJ fan, there’s a pretty good chance I’ve given you my little Michael Jordan trivia test. 😂

I always ask, “There was one game that someone broke into the arena and stole both of MJ’s jersey and he had to wear another jersey. Do you know what other number Michael Jordan wore besides 23?” I already know what they’re going to say before they even open their mouths. “45!”

WRONG! 😂 Well, technically, they’re not wrong because he DID wear number 45 when he returned to basketball after playing baseball. But that’s not the number I’m looking for because he wore that number for more than one game. It was his baseball number.

The answer is NUMBER 12!

On February 14, 1990, Michael Jordan’s number 23 jersey went missing before a game against the Orlando Magic. They couldn’t find it, so he ended up wearing a nameless number 12 jersey for ONE game! When I heard about that $14 million jersey, my immediate thought was, “OH MY GOSH! I BET THAT’S THE NUMBER 12 JERSEY!” 😂

I don’t know if it actually was, but that’s immediately where my basketball-loving mind went! Believe me, I LOVE MJ. Always have! But FOURTEEN MILLION DOLLARS for a jersey? NEVER. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER! Even if I had all the money in the world, I couldn’t do it.

Do you know how many homeless people could have been given a place to live? How many wounded veterans could have received the assistance they desperately need? How many struggling families could have been given a fresh start? How many hungry children could have been fed?

FOURTEEN MILLION DOLLARS!

Now, I’m not judging the person who bought it. I don’t know their heart, what else they do with their money, or how generously they give. That’s between them and the Lord. But it certainly made ME stop and think about what we treasure and where we place our value.

And then the conversation on the radio took a turn I wasn’t expecting. One of the hosts asked what someone would want to own if money were absolutely no object. The caller answered, “Billy Graham’s Bible.”

WHEW! Talk about a heart check! I thought, THAT’S IT! What an incredible answer!

Can you imagine holding the Bible of a man who dedicated his life to sharing the Gospel with millions of people? Imagine the pages he studied, the verses he underlined, and the countless times he opened that Bible seeking wisdom from the Lord. I saw his Bible in pictures, and it had red writing EVERYWHERE!

I would LOVE to have Billy Graham’s Bible! I admire the way he devoted his life to serving Jesus, and I pray that God uses my testimony to help people find Him, too. Then I started thinking about Matthew.

Oh, Matthew. Bless his heart. 😂 If you’ve watched The Chosen, you know exactly why I love him so much. He’s analytical, particular, notices EVERYTHING, wants every detail to be right, and sometimes struggles to understand why everybody else doesn’t see things the way he does.

HELLO! Have we met?! 🤣

Watching him carefully record the words of Jesus makes me think about how incredible it would be to hold something Matthew actually wrote while walking with Him. Imagine having a scroll containing firsthand accounts of the words Jesus spoke. Imagine reading something written by a man who witnessed His miracles, heard His teachings, and watched Him love people the rest of the world had rejected.

I wouldn’t want it because it was rare or because somebody might pay millions for it. I would want it because of WHO those words came from. But then something else clicked, as much as I would love to own Billy Graham’s Bible or Matthew’s scroll, I realized I already have something worth more than either one.

I have God’s Word.

I can open my Bible every morning and read the teachings of Jesus. I can learn about His miracles, His compassion, His corrections, and His promises. Even more importantly, I can have a personal relationship with Him. I don’t have to spend $14 million. I don’t have to be famous. I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to earn my place at His table.

And when I started thinking about where my treasure used to be, WHEW! Jesus has done some work on this heart of mine! There was a time when my treasure was in all the wrong places. Booze and boys. Yes, I said it… BOYS! They sure weren’t men! 😂

I wanted approval. I wanted security. I wanted people to love me because I never felt loved by the two parents I should have felt it from most. I wanted things that made me feel successful, important, or accepted.

And when I couldn’t find those things, I sometimes looked for comfort in places that only left me more broken. But Jesus has been changing what I treasure. There was a time when I thought having enough money, being successful, or having people love and accept me would finally make me happy. And the harder I chased those things, the more I realized they could never give me what I was actually looking for.

Because what I needed wasn’t something this world could sell me.

The most valuable gift I’ve ever received wasn’t something I purchased. It was something Jesus paid for with His life.

Think about that. People will spend millions of dollars to own something that belonged to someone famous. But the Creator of the entire universe offers us something money could NEVER buy. His love. His forgiveness. His grace. His salvation.

He offers it freely. I still love Michael Jordan. I still love basketball. And number 12 will probably always be my favorite number. But my greatest hero isn’t someone who wore a jersey.

He’s the One who wore a crown of thorns. ❤️

And unlike that $14 million jersey, the greatest treasure I’ve ever received isn’t locked away in somebody’s collection. I get to walk with Him every single day.

Today’s Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for opening my eyes to what truly matters. Forgive me for the times I’ve placed my treasure in things that could never satisfy my heart. Thank You for loving me when I was searching for love in all the wrong places and for continuing to teach me that nothing this world offers could ever compare to You.

Lord, help me treasure what You treasure. Give me a generous heart, eyes that see people who are hurting, and the willingness to share what You’ve given me. Remind me that the greatest gift I will ever receive is the salvation Jesus purchased for me on the cross. May my life reflect the value of that gift, and may everything I do point people back to You.

In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen. ❤️