A Treasure of His Own
When we were young, my sister and I all but worshiped our great aunt Rhonda. She was the "cool aunt." First, she owned a farm. Whenever we would visit, she would let us hold pigs, help us feed the animals, and allow us to slide down the corn in her silos until we came out with flies everywhere. But one of the most exciting traditions we had with my aunt was the treasure hunt.
Every time we came to visit her or she came to visit us, there was always a treasure hunt. Whether it was riddles or puzzles to take us to the next location, the search was always a thrill. And, of course, the prizes never failed to delight. I remember candies, easter eggs, toys, and decorations that to me, where more than prizes; they were treasures.
What would you do if you found a real treasure? Would you be like the man in Matthew 13 who sells all that He has to buy the field where the treasure is hidden? Would you not travel to the ends of the earth to possess it? The greater the value of that treasure, the more you would do for it.
So it should not surprise us that God will stop at nothing to win over His treasure, us. In the very beginning of the Bible, God sets apart those who follow Him as being precious to Him. He tells the Israelites in Exodus 19:5, "Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me."
Through the power of the cross, this covenant was opened up to all those who chose to know God. But the Lord doesn't simply present us with an opportunity, He seeks us out, breaks us down, and woos our hearts. There is nothing He wouldn't do to call us His own.
The world will try to tear us down and tell us that we are not enough. If we were on our own, this may even be true. But our value does not come from what we do, how we act, or any other such source. Instead, it is the result of what God has done for us. He has declared us forgiven and redeemed, and in doing so has made us beautiful and whole. Our value lies in God, and there it will remain for all of eternity.
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." -1 Peter 2:9
Every time we came to visit her or she came to visit us, there was always a treasure hunt. Whether it was riddles or puzzles to take us to the next location, the search was always a thrill. And, of course, the prizes never failed to delight. I remember candies, easter eggs, toys, and decorations that to me, where more than prizes; they were treasures.
What would you do if you found a real treasure? Would you be like the man in Matthew 13 who sells all that He has to buy the field where the treasure is hidden? Would you not travel to the ends of the earth to possess it? The greater the value of that treasure, the more you would do for it.
So it should not surprise us that God will stop at nothing to win over His treasure, us. In the very beginning of the Bible, God sets apart those who follow Him as being precious to Him. He tells the Israelites in Exodus 19:5, "Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me."
Through the power of the cross, this covenant was opened up to all those who chose to know God. But the Lord doesn't simply present us with an opportunity, He seeks us out, breaks us down, and woos our hearts. There is nothing He wouldn't do to call us His own.
The world will try to tear us down and tell us that we are not enough. If we were on our own, this may even be true. But our value does not come from what we do, how we act, or any other such source. Instead, it is the result of what God has done for us. He has declared us forgiven and redeemed, and in doing so has made us beautiful and whole. Our value lies in God, and there it will remain for all of eternity.
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." -1 Peter 2:9
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