Reflection & Day IX

Day IX: What's your Treasure?

"He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

What most people value is worthless... Only what we do for Christ has lasting value.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. - Matthew 13:44-46

In Matthew 13:44-46, two men come upon a treasure in two different manners: searching for or stumbling upon. In this passage, "the treasure and the pearl are symbols of Christ. Some of us stumble across him. We are going our own way, minding our own business, and somehow, some way we realize, "Jesus is real. He can be my Savior!" Others of us have a tug in our hearts for years. We search for truth by going to every conceivable source of spiritual nourishment. We try astrology and angels; we read Baghavad-Gita and Joseph Smith; we meditate on a hill and read Darwin. We watch Sally Jesse and Oprah. But none of these satisfy us. Maybe we have been turned off by arrogant Christians, so we discounted Christ. But now, we examine the Christian faith one more time - and we see Jesus.

Either way, whether by surprise (though it is never by surprise from God's sovereign point of view) or by careful, diligent search, we find Christ. He is so wonderful that our instantaneous response is to gladly forsake anything and everything to become intimate with him. Nothing else matters because, quite literally, nothing else matters."

I met Jesus by surprise. I came to youth group to listen to my current boyfriend play guitar, but clearly God had other plans. He wanted me to come meet with Him. I came once and I was curious, but not convicted. I knew of Jesus, but never knew Jesus intimately until I accepted him as my Lord and Savior in 2003. The more I get to know Christ, the more I am changed and the more I realize how much God loves us. Oh, does He love us. He loves us. Us.

If we truly desire to follow Jesus, "we can count on two things: encouragement and testing. God will lead us to passges of scripture and godly people to fan the flame in our hearts. Imagine how thrilled he is when you and I say, "God, I will do anything to follow you and honor you!" But he also tests the commitment. He brings failure and pain into our lives, not to discourage us but to refine our desires and burn away the stuff that gets in our way. When we say that he is our treasure, he tests us by either giving us those things that compete with him or he takes them away. You may receive an award or experience great success. At that moment, you have a choice of what to treasure. Or you may be rejected by someone you value or fail in an important goal. At that moment, you can choose whether to value the loss and sink into despair or to treasure Christ and say, "Lord, it hurts, but your love is far greater than my loss." Either way, in success or failure, our true hearts are revealed and we can grow."

I can testify to both of these things. Over and over, people and passages speak to me. There are people God put in and took out of my life to draw me closer to him. As for failure and pain, yes, I have felt that too. I have been grown through trials, used in trials, and been tested. I had one particular sin struggle that took years to overcome. Trust me, I could not do it alone. No way. For years, I struggled with it and it wasn't until He broke me free. I was being choked by that sin and Jesus freed me. His love uprooted me from sin. I still face trials and experience much pain, but Jesus is worth the cost. He keeps drawing me closer and pouring out grace over me. He loves me. He strengthens me and he encourages me.

Luke 18: 27
Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

He continues to do the impossible in my life. I still have some impossibles, but only with Him can they be done.

"When men and women work, men and women work.
When men and women pray, God works." - Jeremy Kingsley


All quotes in this post that are not the Bible or followed by another person's name are from David Nasser's A Call to Die


Reflection
This weekend, I went on a retreat to Hidden Acres. I cannot really put into words what God did this weekend. Yes, He changed lives. He allowed us to grow closer to Him. Many students gave their lives to Christ. As a leader, I feel truly blessed to be a part of middle school ministry. My small group was quite, but after the last session with Jeremy Kingsley... they were moved to speak. God was flowing... overflowing. I can't thank God enough for answering our prayers. For using Jeremy to lead the youth and the leaders this weekend...

Name above all names, You are worthy of all praise!

A few quotes from this weekend from Jeremy Kingsley:
"We do not read the Bible to finish, we read the Bible to change."
"When men and women work, men and women work.
When men and women pray, God works."