Have you heard the latest buzz on social media?  It’s called Hidden Cash.  And the game was played recently in downtown Dallas and a couple weeks later in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Image courtesy @HiddenCashDFW

What the media has been able to learn about this scavenger hunt is that a mystery millionaire is behind the game as a “social experiment for good”.  Clues are left on twitter about the locations of envelopes that contain money.

It makes for good TV.  Hundreds of people gather in places (in Dallas the designated location was Victory Park) and then wait for the clues to appear via tweets on twitter.  Then it’s up to the hunters to figure out the clues, race to the location and see if they correctly figured out the secret location.

In Sacramento, one guy was giving an interview to a TV reporter when he figured out the clue.  He dashed across the street and found an envelope taped to a fire hydrant.  He held up the envelope and clutched the money while celebrating his find and good fortune.

Like I said, it makes for good TV and pictures in the newspaper.

Here’s the mystery.  No one has been able to determine what is, exactly, the social media experiment.  Is it how many followers this “hidden cash” can get on twitter?  Is it to find out what people do with the money?  The envelopes typically contain between $80 and $250.  Do they spend the money to pay bills?  Is some of it put away into savings? Do people donate some of the cash to charity?  Or will the dollars be used on something frivolous?

This got me to thinking about Luke 15:8-10.  Do you remember which parable this is that Jesus taught followers?

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’  Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Here’s what strikes me about these verses.

Focus and determination.  This woman knew she needed to find that coin.  She sought diligently for the coin.  This was serious business that required her complete attention.

Time and effort.  We don’t know how long it took her to search for the coin.  It didn’t matter.  She was going to employ the resources needed to find the coin.  It wasn’t enough just to use her eyes and get on her knees to search for the coin.  She used a lamp to give her extra light and a broom to sweep the house.

It’s a big deal.  We all have a sense of accomplishment when we complete a task.  In this woman’s case, it’s more than shouting “yes!” and adding a fist pump in the air.  She told her friends and her neighbors.  It sounds unusual when we’re talking about a silver coin.  But, this is important.  It’s important to her and she wants to convey that importance to those she is close to.

Verse 10 drives home the point for Christians and those who want to pursue the Christian life.  Your life is important and your soul is so valuable to God.  What are you going to allow in your life that will separate you from God?  When you decide to live the Christian life, are you going to pursue it with everything you have?  And are you going to proclaim it through your words, actions and attitude?  What you have is much more valuable than an envelope filled with cash.  Think about it…and act!

Of course the best place to search for treasure is in the Bible.  This week the Dinnertime Devotional series follows the life events of Joseph as his brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin.  Check it out >>> Dinnertime Devotionals 24