By Helen Jesze 5th June 2026

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves
do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also.” Matthew 6:19-21 NIV
“I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So
that you may know that it is I, The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by
your name.” Isaiah 45:3 New American Standard Bible

Recently I came across an old newspaper-cutting, which told about a well-off
grandmother who had died. The family knew she had a lot of expensive jewellery but
no-one knew where it was! They hired a team of experts to search the house, and
eventually the articles were found in an old freezer, next to a frozen joint of meat!
The treasure-trove consisted of 30 items which included rings, bracelets, pendants,
earrings and brooches, many from the 16th and 17th centuries! She had kept the
receipts and papers, and the whole lot was valued at £100,000. Being in the freezer
had not harmed the jewellery.

Some highlights included a Renaissance enamel and gem-set pendant, called “Pelican
in her Piety” worth £30,000. There was also a 17th century Italian sapphire and ruby
pendant worth £15,000, and a 400-year-old £6,000 Iberian ruby, diamond and
emerald pendant necklace. This lady had bought much of the jewellery from London
auction houses, galleries and specialist dealers. The newspaper-cutting then
advertised when all the items were to be sold by auction. What an amazing find! How
relieved must the family have been, that Grandma’s jewellery had been found!

The title to this devotional is “Treasure in unexpected Places!” Indeed, such riches in
an old freezer among the joints of meat is unexpected! But I believe that in Life, God
will cause us to find mental, spiritual and emotional treasures, as we journey on with
Him each day. Jesus told a story about a man who found treasure in a field, so he sold
all that he had and bought that field; that was worth more to him than anything else.
When we first heard the Gospel message, we may not have realised that there were
such treasures waiting for us. The Bible may have been a dull, boring book, but now,
with the Author of the Book living within us, it started to come alive, and reveal its
treasures! How wonderful that we, as people who perhaps lived a very sinful life,
others who were depressed or suicidal, could now be lived in by Jesus Christ, the Son
of the Living God, through taking Him as our personal Saviour. In 2 Corinthians 4:7
we read:
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power
may be of God, and not of us.”
We are the ‘earthen vessels’. This ‘treasure’ begins to change us by the power of the
Word and the Holy Spirit “ from glory to glory” into the image of Jesus Christ.
People seek fulfilment in pleasure, entertainment, illicit sex, drugs, alcohol,
pornography, riches, fame and how many “likes” they get on Social Media. While
some of these things may bring a measure of satisfaction, we are enjoined to “set our
minds on things above, not on earthly things”.

The photo at the top shows the St. Edwards Crown which is worn only by an English
monarch, at his or her coronation. Having a solid gold frame and purple velvet
trimmed with ermine fur, the crown is set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet,
topazes and tourmaline gems. Our King Charles III also wore this, when he was
crowned in 2023. Beautiful as this is, most of us will never have riches in this
category. The verse at the top tells us to seek treasures in Heaven which will never
fade away or be stolen, not like wealth on this Earth, and so important to realise that
where our treasure is, there will be our heart and affections!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for putting Your treasures in our
lives, and constantly bringing out new ones, as we grow in You! We
might have been the last person that anyone would think could be used
by You to bless others and bring glory to Your Name! Treasure in
unexpected places!
Thank you also, that when we go through dark, painful times, You will
cause “treasures” to come forth from these valleys, making them
precious instead of barren and full of disappointment. You are the
LORD, the God of Israel who has called us by our name.You have called
and we will run after You! We ask these things in the Name of your Son,
Jesus, who is the greatest Treasure that we can own! Amen