Have you heard of Tommy Thompson? A renown treasure hunter, Thompson made a startling discovery in 1988… he discovered the site of the SS Central America, a shipwreck from 1857 sunk in a hurricane off the coast of South Carolina. The Central America was carrying thousands of pounds of gold. Over $105 million dollars worth of gold has been recovered over the years.
However, the insurance company who insured the SS Central America has since sued to have the gold returned. In 2015, a court ruled that Thompson must disclose the location of some of the treasure that he had secured. He refused that order — and he has remained in jail since 2015. He is still imprisoned today. Each year a judge reviews the case and provides an opportunity for Thompson to give up the gold… and each year he refuses. And he has sat in prison for seven years.
What would seven years of your life be worth? Tommy has been in prison since he was 62 years old… I wonder how many years he has left? Now, a natural response to this situation is; Why in the world would a guy be willing to be imprisoned for 7 years when he has the means to be freed? And the answer is simple… the treasure. That gold is so valuable to him, that he is willing to endure the loss of his freedom in the hope that one of his appeals will grant him ownership of the treasure.
Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 NIV Tommy Thompson’s heart is with the gold that he found, and that treasure is so valuable to him that he is willing to suffer imprisonment to possess it. How sad. What has he missed? Birthdays and weddings… loving relationships and life experiences… all in the hope of material wealth.
Do you know what I wish? I wish Christians had that same intensity and purpose when it comes to the treasure of Jesus in our lives. What if Christians were truly willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of Christ? What if I was? While we might label Tommy a fool… we cannot dismiss his conviction. Jesus didn’t even attempt to hide the fact that following him meant the surrender of our personal freedom as we pick up our cross to follow him — to follow him no matter what.
Do you remember what Peter said for our series, Don’t Stop Believing? “…your faith—of greater worth than gold…” I Peter 1:7 NIV What is gold compared to an Eternity with Jesus in Heaven? What is gold compared to an Eternity of joy? Have you ever discovered that you had a divided heart? A heart divided between love for Christ and something else? May we never forget that our faith is of greater worth than gold… of greater worth than anything! Tommy is sitting in jail hoping to gain his treasure of gold… may we live in freedom… celebrating the treasure of Jesus!
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