THE CHURCH’S TREASURE
Before being canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church,
Lawrence was a deacon serving in Rome. When a wave of violent persecution broke
out, Pope Sixtus and others were killed. Lawrence knew it was only a matter of time
before they would come for him. As keeper of the church’s goods, he was
responsible for giving alms to the poor. At that point, he started
distributing them more generously than ever.
It wasn’t very long before Lawrence was summoned by government
officials who demanded that he surrender the church’s treasure.
He replied that the church was quite rich and requested three days to get
everything in order.
When Roman officials arrived at his church, they expected it to be
filled with silver and gold. Instead, it was packed with the poor, the
blind, the lame and the lepers. “Here are the treasures of the church,”
declared Lawrence with spiritual authority. As you might expect, the
officials were furious and Lawrence was summarily executed in the year 258 A.D.
What a courageous and wise man! Lawrence was absolutely right
about the treasures of the church. As the Body of Christ, we have
significance and value that transcends mere economics and social standing.
It goes without saying that the greatest treasure of the church
is THE HOLY SPIRIT. (II
Corinthians 4:7) Nevertheless, since HE dwells within us and grants us the
privilege of serving as His ‘hands and feet’ within the earth realm, we, by
extension and proximity, are true treasures indeed.
My friend, who will you treasure and touch today, on behalf of your
Creator?
No comments:
Post a Comment