The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow
by Karen S. Roberts
A devotional for St. Patrick’s Day
Want to Find a Treasure?
Almost anyone would love to find a treasure. When you were a kid, were you ever fascinated by tales of hidden treasure? 
My two youngest grandsons seem to be fascinated with the idea of finding a treasure. Sometimes I ask them to make up a story, and I write it down as they tell it. Quite often, somewhere in the story will be a reference to looking for and finding a treasure chest. There is almost always a dog in their stories as well, and usually the dog leads the main character to the hidden treasure.
The Irish Tale of a Pot of Gold
When celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, we often hear the tale of leprechauns guarding pots of gold at the end of every rainbow. It’s a fanciful story which creates some laughs from adults, but can capture the imagination of children. One story explains that Viking pirates visited Ireland and buried their golden booty in various places near the shore to hide it away. Then leprechauns stole the gold and put it in pots at the end of rainbows, standing guard to trick anyone who might find a pot of gold.
Hmmm, I wonder if I should tell this tall tale to my grandkids. Maybe the next story they make up will have leprechauns and pots of gold instead of treasure boxes.
Of course, we can never find the end of a rainbow, because actually they are circular. We only see the rainbow arc that is above the horizon. But if we were high in the air in a plane and saw a rainbow, we might see the full circle. If you are high enough, you can see below the horizon visible to a person on the ground.
Even if there were such a thing as a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, getting it would be an unattainable goal. You’d just keep following the rainbow around in circles.
What Did Jesus Say About Treasures?
When Jesus spoke of treasures, he usually was referring to treasures of the heart and rewards that come to His followers in heaven. Getting His treasures are attainable goals. (I’d rather have rewards in heaven than a pot of gold here on earth anyhow.)
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus talks about how attaining wealth on the earth does not have spiritual value. We should be more interested in living a life filled with God and doing what He leads us to do. That’s how we save up the treasure in heaven that Jesus talks about in these verses.
He also gives a w
arning: how much I value things on earth reveals my true heart. If I am absorbed in building wealth, that desire is crowding out my relationship with God. It’s not so much my attempts to save and invest money that gets in the way, but it’s the amount of focus my life has on this that can get unbalanced.
If I’m clinging to my possessions and wealth rather than being a cheerful giver, that is an indication of a wrong heart attitude.
In Matthew 12:35, Jesus said that a good man, out of good treasure in his heart, brings forth good things, while an evil man, out of evil treasure in his heart, brings forth evil things.
Jesus expressed that the heart desires that we cling to result in how we live our lives. If loving and following Jesus is what we treasure, goodness will flow out of us. But if we cling to sin, evil things will flow out of us.
Let Your Goal Be to Find the Hidden Spiritual Treasures
Colossians 2:2-3 mentions a mystery of God in which are the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge that come from Christ. Paul does not explain this in detail, seemingly whetting our appetite to go deeper in our relationship with Jesus in order to get the wisdom and knowledge we need and to discover the mystery of God. That sort of sounds like going on a treasure hunt!
Let’s spend time in the Word of God and in communing with Him so that we can discover the mysteries that are hidden to most people. These revelations are readily available to those who dig into the Word to find them. As we read Scripture, pray, and ask for insight from the Holy Spirit, we will find the spiritual treasures that are there for us.
How To Be Equipped To Find and Understand God’s Mysteries
Any good treasure hunter is equipped for the hunt. Taking along a good metal detector, a shovel, clothing for the weathe
r, as well as water and snacks would be important. Of course, having a treasure map would be really helpful!
Starting on a hunt for understanding and experiencing the treasures of God starts with being equipped with the Holy Spirit.
When you put your faith in Jesus, repenting and asking Him to forgive your sins and come into your life, He sends His Spirit. Once you do that, you follow the “map” – the Bible – which leads you to understand the things of God. Some people, when they first come to Christ for forgiveness, do not fully yield every single part of their lives over to Him. When we get to that point of yielding, we can invite the Holy Spirit to fill us, giving us power to live for Christ and revelation to understand our “map.” As we walk in the Spirit day by day, He leads us into a deeper relationship with God and greater understanding.
So in my opinion, our spiritual treasure hunting equipment are these:
Repentance
Studying the Word of God
Being filled with the Holy Spirit
Staying on track with God as we walk out our faith day by day.
This is more rewarding than trying to follow a rainbow to find a pot of gold.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and Happy Treasure Hunting!
Now here are some kids who will teach us some more about what Jesus said about treasure.