[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Ftreasures-of-the-heart":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Ftreasures-of-the-heart-surround":77},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":13,"columnName":60,"date":61,"description":19,"extension":62,"image":63,"meta":64,"minRead":65,"navigation":66,"path":67,"postType":68,"publication":69,"publicationUrl":63,"seo":70,"stem":71,"topics":72,"__hash__":76},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Ftreasures-of-the-heart.md","Treasures of the Heart",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11,12],"Luke","Matthew","Acts","2 Corinthians",{"type":14,"value":15,"toc":56},"minimark",[16,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44,47,50,53],[17,18,19],"p",{},"Every mom has a storehouse in her heart—a place for treasures known only to her and to God. Her treasure chest holds a variety of memories: how the baby felt in her womb, the pain of childbirth, and the first time she heard her infant cry. A mother remembers her baby's first smile, first haircut, and first day of school.",[17,21,22],{},"Her Treasures",[17,24,25],{},"Twice in Luke chapter 2, the Bible tells us that Mary treasured certain things in her heart.",[17,27,28],{},"Amazed to be pregnant while still a virgin, Mary remembered the angel's words about her baby: \"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High\" (Luke 1:32). While Joseph sawed wood in the carpenter shop, he pondered the angel's command: \"You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins\" (Matthew 1:21).",[17,30,31],{},"In the fullness of time God opened the curtain to history's center stage. The stage contained a remarkably humble set. A small town. An inn's stable. A manger-crib. Strips of cloth to swaddle the baby. The story was high drama, but the unlikely cast of characters showed that God, not man, was the script-writer and the casting director. Young Mary nursed the baby. An angel choir gave a command performance in the hills near Bethlehem. Sleepy shepherds, smelling like sheep but dazzled by the brightness of God, came to the manger, then left spreading the word about the Christ-child. \"And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart\" (Luke 2:19).",[17,33,34],{},"Twelve years later, Mary's heart must have skipped a beat when she and Joseph realized they had left Jesus behind with the Passover crowds in Jerusalem. Anxiously they searched until they found him—where else?—in his Father's house. Many 12-year-olds think they know more than their parents. This one really did. But young Jesus honored Mary and Joseph. \"He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart\" (Luke 2:51).",[17,36,37],{},"Our Treasures",[17,39,40],{},"Why does Christmas touch so many emotions? Maybe because it makes us pause and think about what we really treasure in our hearts. Children and grandchildren. Family and friends. Faith that sustained us through the past year and gives us hope to face the next.",[17,42,43],{},"The holiday provides a special opportunity to experience Jesus' words, \"It is more blessed to give than to receive\" (Acts 20:35). It's a time to catch up on rest and build lasting memories.",[17,45,46],{},"His Treasures",[17,48,49],{},"Mary's greatest treasure, though, can be ours as well. The last time she's mentioned by name in the Bible is in Acts 1:14. She's not being prayed to; she's praying to God along with the other disciples with a heart full of joy and anticipation. Jesus had been crucified, yes; but now he was alive again, ascended to Heaven, soon to send the Holy Spirit.",[17,51,52],{},"\"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich\" (2 Corinthians 8:9).",[17,54,55],{},"The treasures of Heaven are ours because Jesus was willing to give up his. That's something to ponder in our hearts—something to treasure indeed.",{"title":57,"searchDepth":58,"depth":58,"links":59},"",2,[],"First Look","2003-12-21","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Ftreasures-of-the-heart","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":19},"articles\u002Ftreasures-of-the-heart",[73,74,75],"Biblical Theology","Intergenerational Ministry","Spiritual Formation","zasWvVkSsAmEbKb-pq4zZXBA9-72vxC2voOWCtpxCcM",[78,83],{"title":79,"path":80,"stem":81,"description":82,"children":-1},"Treasures Old and New","\u002Farticles\u002Ftreasures-new-and-old","articles\u002Ftreasures-new-and-old","Did you hear about the guy whose thesaurus was stolen? He was perplexed, exasperated, frustrated, angry, upset, and filled with consternation.",{"title":84,"path":85,"stem":86,"description":87,"children":-1},"Trust Your Instruments","\u002Farticles\u002Ftrust-your-instruments","articles\u002Ftrust-your-instruments","Any experienced traveler knows the feeling. You stare at the Departure board in the airport, dismayed as the dreaded word *Delayed *appears beside one flight after another. Soon a 20-minute weather delay turns into an hour, and you calculate how much time you need to catch your connecting flight in Charlotte, North Carolina."]