Treasure

The Big Rocks! [Haggai 1:6; other topics – Priorities, Idols, Lusts, Greed, World]

To make a point, a time-management expert gave his highly placed students a pop quiz. Taking a big wide-mouthed jar, he positioned it on the table in front of him. He then took several fist-sized stones and carefully positioned them in the jar until they reached the top. He then asked, "Is the jar full?"

Everyone looked at each other then, shrugging their combined shoulders, said, "Yes!" "Really?" He asked, as he pulled a bag of pea gravel from under the table. Taking the jar he cautiously poured gravel into the open mouth of the jar, regularly shaking it to get the gravel to settle. Again he queried, "Is it full?"

A voice from the back of the room whispered, "Probably not!" "Good," the expert said. This time he pulled out a child’s sand bucket and carefully poured sand into the open mouth of the jar, again shaking it to get the sand to settle. "Is it full?" He challenged.

"No!" A combined class voice responded. "Good," he said as he took the water pitcher from the table and filled the jar to the brim. "Is it full?" He inquired.

"It sure looks like it," replied several members of the group. "Not good," the teacher chided, as he took a sugar bowl from the table and scooped spoon after spoonful of the white crystals into the saturated sand mixture.

When the surface became clogged with sandy sugar, he gently shook the jar until it dissolved. He repeated this until the sugar bowl was empty. "What’s the point?" He prompted.

One zealous young executive blurted out, "No matter how full the schedule, there’s always room for more, if you try!"

"No!" The speaker shot out. "No! This object lesson teaches us two things: 1.) if we don’t put the big rocks in first, we’ll never get them in at all; and 2.) once the big rocks are in, an orderly introduction of everything else accomplishes more than a random introduction."

What are the big rocks of your life? God? Family? Ministry? Charity? Others? Dreams? Country? Education? Health? Or are your big rocks of your life the things of this world? The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the boastful pride of life?

If you sweat the small stuff you’ll fill your jar too fast, and with low priority things. Where your heart is there your treasure will be also. Where’s your heart?