“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19, 20).

It is the storyline of song, movie, and fable. (Ever see Aladdin?) The boy born a pauper, living hand-to-mouth . . . the moment of self-discovery when he learns he is not a nobody but, rather, the prince of the realm . . . the journey to reclaim his identity and live out the life to which he was born.

It is a storyline that comes up repeatedly in Scripture. Remember the fellow who was living comfortably in Ur of Chaldea? He thought he was just another family guy: making a home, building a nest egg, meeting with his friends at the city gate to talk politics and business. Instead we learn that Abraham was a prince living beneath his calling. He answered the call of God and God made his life mean something.

What about Rahab? She was living a sad story. Just another powerless woman forced to make a living with her body, putting food on the table and getting by. And then came God’s call and Rahab discovered she was much more than she ever imagined. She answered the call and, because she put her hope in heavenly treasure, her life made a difference.

What about the tax-collector? One more accountant ticking his boxes and adding up bottom lines. He might have thought his life was home and work and fishing in the Sea of Galilee on his days off. If that had been his life, however, we would never have known his name. When Jesus passed by, Matthew answered his call and decided to put his faith in matters that mattered.

And that is the story that lies beneath the gospel we preach. We were all born princes. We are the children—sons and daughters—of the most high King. We are members of God’s household, heirs of the kingdom, inheritors of eternal treasure. There is God-stuff in us, an eternal and divine spark. We are saints. We are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world. We are beloved of God, more than conquerors, the bride of Christ, the chosen ones, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way!

But tragically we have forgotten ourselves. We’ve focused on earthly treasure: living in poverty, scratching out meager lives, existing hand-to-mouth. We’ve spent ourselves assembling widgets, checking boxes, watching Desperate Housewives reruns, mowing the yard, shopping for groceries. We think we are defined by what we do (our work) or who we know (our status) or getting our way (our power).

When all along, God has intended us to be “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:15, 16).

I am not a fearful man. Though I fly a lot, I don’t fear flying or waste time brooding about fiery crashes. I don’t fear financial uncertainty. I don’t obsess about germs or disease. I tremble not at spiders, snakes, or peanut butter stuck to the roof of my mouth (for which there is an actual psychiatric condition: Arachibutyrophobia).

One thing I dread. One thing terrifies me. I fear living an insignificant life. I fear forgetting myself and becoming content to live beneath my calling. I fear wasting my life on matters that don’t matter. I fear a focus on earthly treasures when, all along, I was born to traffic in the heavenly.

And you fear the same thing. I can say that about you without even knowing your name. I know who your Father is. I know how you were made. I know the God-image within you and how it pulls you toward significance, how it spoils you for ordinary living. You want your life to matter just as I do.

That is also true of our neighbors and workmates and friends—all those people who have forgotten who they really are, who have grown accustomed to ordinary living. They, too, want significance. They, too, look for something to make their lives matter.

Only heavenly treasure can do that. Only heavenly treasure transforms the ordinary into the sublime. So wake up, people of God, and remember who you are. Stop settling for the small and the common. You were born for better things.

Hold out to the people around you the promise that their lives can also count for something. You’ll be surprised just how motivated people get when significance is at stake. |L

OTHER COLUMNS:
November 8, 2009 - Why I believe in God
October 25, 2009 - Commuting in days of evil
October 11, 2009 - Poets and don’t know it
September 27, 2009 - How Hollywood proves abortion is wrong
August 30, 2009 - Dance alternatives
August 16, 2009 - Gluttons for gossip
August 2, 2009 - Truth from Twilight
July 19, 2009 - Visitor-friendly churches
July 5, 2009 - The Shack
June 21, 2009 - When forgiveness fails
June 7, 2009 - Re-imagining Education (Part Six)
May 24, 2009 - We are not alone
May 3, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part five)
April 26, 2009 - Conviction
April 12, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part four)
March 29, 2009 - An evangelistic proposal
March 15, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part three)
March 1, 2009 - He makes me sick
February 15, 2009 - Re-imagining education (Part Two)
February 1, 2009 - Spiritual insecurity
January 18, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part one)
January 4, 2009 - Church and politics
December 21, 2008 - Heaven’s music
December 7, 2008 - The church and marriage
November 23, 2008 - God and the president
November 9, 2008 - A time for courage
October 26, 2008 - Likes and dislikes: the Prince Caspian movie
October 12, 2008 - What’s that noise?
September 28, 2008 - Modesty matters (part two)
September 14, 2008 - All it takes is some TLC
August 31, 2008 - Modesty matters (part one)
August 17, 2008 - What would you fight for?
August 3, 2008 - Staying through the credits
July 20, 2008 - Honor to whom honor
July 6, 2008 - Tyler Perry and the movies you’re missing
June 22, 2008 - The peaceable kingdom
May 25, 2008 - Another generation grew up
May 25, 2008 - Technology and the Bible (part two)
May 11, 2008 - Technology and the Bible (part one)
April 27, 2008 - What is truth?
April 13, 2008 - And the geek shall inherit the earth
March 30, 2008 - A charactered God
March 16, 2008 - The college choice (part two)
March 2, 2008 - Good news can be hard to hear
February 17, 2008 - The college choice (part one)
February 5, 2008 - Ten suggestions for a godly standard of living
January 20, 2008 - Expelled: that “Bueller” guy’s pro-God movie
January 6, 2008 - Choosing a lifestyle
December 23, 2007 - Teachable TV?
December 9, 2007 - Owners or stewards?
November 25, 2007 - Christians teaching Christians to change TV and film
November 11, 2007 - My money is God’s business
October 28, 2007 - Navigating under the radar
October 14, 2007 - The things God values
September 30, 2007 - Movie moments
September 16, 2007 - God’s economics
September 2, 2007 - The best books to read
August 19, 2007 - There’s a rat in ‘separate’
August 5, 2007 - The art of reading
July 22, 2007 - Atheist chic
July 8, 2007 - Why books matter: the sequel
June 10, 2007 - Books: why they matter
June 3, 2007 - The non-impact of “The Lost Tomb of Jesus”
May 27, 2007 - The universal gospel
May 13, 2007 - Loving Muslims through culture
April 29, 2007 - Hope
April 15, 2007 - God in the dark
April 1, 2007 - The gospel goes to the movies
March 18, 2007 - What the Bible movies can teach us
March 4, 2007 - What will you hurt for?
February 18, 2007 - Why Heroes . . .
February 4, 2007 - Give peace a chance
January 21, 2007 - When fairy tales are true
January 7, 2007 - WYSIWYG lives
December 31, 2006 - What’s coming next?
December 17, 2006 - Mercy, mercy
December 3, 2006 - Proof of evolution!
November 19, 2006 - Hungering for God
November 5, 2006 - Violence and government, war and peace
October 22, 2006 - The mighty meek
October 8, 2006 - The Battlestar and the Bible
September 24, 2006 - Soap for the soul
September 10, 2006 - Right vs. cool
August 27, 2006 - The painful truth
August 13, 2006 - More Lies Hollywood Tells
July 30, 2006 - Christian counter culture
July 16, 2006 - The lies Hollywood tells