Tag Archives: John

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Where is Your Treasure?

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“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:25-34

We are God’s treasure. He sold everything (laid down His life) to purchase the Pearl of Great Price (you and me.) He is the Good Shepherd who leaves the flock safe in the mountains, to go and search for the one lost little sheep. The very one who wondered off looking for something different, that greener pasture.
Where is your treasure? What is your treasure? Is it your fine education, your forty foot yacht, your modern day castle, or the latest technological toy? Or maybe it is the recognition you get on your job, or for doing your “good works?” Is your treasure something shameful that you don’t want anyone to know about? Is it simply money and possessions? What will you give for your treasure? What sacrifice are you willing to make? Your marriage, your kids, or your relationship with God?

When Jesus created everything-He created an order and a balance. God loves us and wants to give us good things. But our lives must have balance and order. First our desire should be for Him. Everything else comes after. Our greatest treasure should be Him. A passionate relationship with Him is the greatest thing we could ever hope to attain. When we do that, He adds all the other stuff to us-giving it freely.
When we hold back from Him or give our hearts over to other people and things, before Him, we lose. The sacrifices we make to keep those tarnished so-called-treasures, ends up being too much. We end up selling our soul and hurting so many others in the process. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

Let’s get practical. The holiday season is fast approaching us. Thanksgiving-a time to thank God for all he had provided for us, a day spent with family sharing how thankful we are for each other. And quickly following that day comes Christmas. Christmas is a day set aside to remember a loving God who humbled Himself and came to us in the form of a mortal man. A Father who sent us gifts to make our lives better, the gift of life to a dying world. So we in turn give gifts to others in remembrance.

Sounds lovely doesn’t it? But for most people those days are not all “thankfulness” and “peace on earth.” They are stress and overspending, loneliness and depression. Some feel they have little to be thankful for, and some have little to eat while we all feast away. Many look at the expensive unnecessary toy, gadgets, clothes and merchandise (junk), displayed as the next-best-greatest-thing that will bring happiness, love, satisfaction, ease and envy. But it is all only stuff!

We are so shallow…and dare I say it? Foolish. Things may make us happy for a season, but most of the time they disappoint-or something newer and better comes along and we look at what we have with disdain. Who cares if the shoes I am wearing are five years old and not “in style?” Or if the phone I just paid extra for last spring, because the free one was too plain, is now obsolete? How many apps can one person use? We are calling wood, hay and stubble treasure! How disappointing that must be to the Father. We step over the homeless man who smell makes our eyes water, to hurry into the mall to purchase that sale item that is supposed to represent God’s gift to mankind. Seriously?

Ask Him what we can do to celebrate these special days. He’ll give you something wonderful (hard) to do. Like put away the charge card and only buy what you can pay for. Maybe invite someone to share your family only meal with. Maybe it will just be bringing some food, not your leftover things sitting in the back of your cupboard, to the local food pantry. This one is a favorite of mine; make some shoeboxes for “Operation Christmas Child.” All of these things build treasure in heaven, if our motivation is to please God and help others. Attend a Christmas Eve service. Not to show off your new clothes and jewelry, but to praise Him for who He is, to sit in His presence with a thankful heart.

We have Him! Is there anything that can compare to that? He is our treasure. Don’t you want to give Him to others? He’s the only treasure worth seeking. But He’s a treasure not to hide, or horde. He is to be shared. “Freely we have received, freely we give.”

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Religion or Relationship?

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John the Baptist was quite the minister. He was a Wildman with long hair, dressed in goat’s hair clothing, living in the desert, eating things most decent people wouldn’t, and preaching to a people who hadn’t heard the voice of God in over 400 years. John railed at the religious leaders, railed at Herod, and prepared the way for the Messiah. His message was simple “repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” (Matthew 3:2). A stiff necked, self-righteous people who thought they were special because God had chosen them, better than anyone else, needed to hear that they were sinners in need of a forgiving Father.

As he was standing at the Jordan one day, ministering according to his calling, the religious leaders show up. Did John puff himself up, feeling self-important due to the recognition of the ‘rock stars’ of his day? Did he welcome them with open arms? No he yelled for all to hear, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee the wrath to come? Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance- let your lives prove your change of heart.” He threatened them with hell-fire, then preceded with, “Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.” (Matthew 3:9).

John is a wonderful example of humbleness. He is NOT week or wishy-washy. He does NOT compromise his message or cow-tow to the big-name-leaders of his day. He DOES admit that he is nothing and the one coming after him is everything. He even goes as far as to say that he is “unworthy to untie the shoes” of the one coming after. And as he is standing at the Jordan that day, immediately after he warns the religious leaders, Jesus shows up, asking to be baptized. Once again John proves the condition of his heart by humbly declaring that Jesus was the one who should be baptizing him. Jesus insists, so that “righteousness will be fulfilled.” John clearly is not spouting and practicing religion. He is in relationship with God. How do we know that? Because he does as Jesus asks.

God is pleased with it, saying in verse 17, “This is my son, My Beloved in Whom I delight,” and is most versions says, “In whom I am well-pleased.” Moving on from John to Jesus, we see another example of a relationship. Jesus goes on to minister to the people, teaching, healing, casting out demons and feeding thousands, all proving his relationship with the Father. He only did what His Father told Him to do and only said what He told Him to say. Teaching in the temple they were all amazed at how He taught. He taught with authority, “and not as the scribes.” What was the difference in their teaching? The scribes knew the scriptures, memorized them even, but Jesus knew the one who authored them.

The religious leaders claimed a physical relationship with Abraham. They were all about their genealogies. But God always wanted a spiritual relationship son’s and daughters who loved Him. They would give a lengthy history of all of their ancestors, stopping at “Joseph, son of Abraham,” but never went back far enough to say, “Adam, the son of God.” In fact, that was one of the issues they had with Jesus. He claimed to be the Son of God, and they called that blasphemy. How little they understood the love of the Father.

Religion can’t save. It can only give a list of ‘do’s and don’ts’ that we can’t ever manage to adhere to. Religion kills.

God never wanted the law. He wanted Sons and Daughters, children to love. Relationship with Him brings life and life more abundantly.

What do you want?
Religion or relationship?

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Is “Just Enough” Enough?

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We have decided, my husband and I, to downsize and simplify our lives. We are determined to live with less and to have more time to enjoy this life that has been given to us. We are content with what we have and where we are, knowing that God is bringing change into our lives. We are passing through one season onto another. I have been sorting through years worth of accumulation, donating, selling, trashing and giving away some stuff. I also have been doing some research and study, along with my prayers and conversations with God about it all. During this time I picked up a book about downsizing written by a Christian. Right away I got into the book. The author voices some of the same concerns that we had had about life being too busy and about things more than people. Then somewhere past halfway he says that God gives us “just enough”, giving the Manna in the wilderness as an example. That’s where he lost me.
Sure I know about the Manna. God gave them just enough, left overs rotted and got worms, He warned them, but they had to test it themselves. God tells us to be content in whatever state we are in, true (Phil 4:11). But what did Jesus show us by His example? Was he preaching the message of “just enough?” No, He said, “ The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10:10 Amp). He fed thousands, twice. One time they gathered up seven baskets of left-overs and another time twelve baskets. “ When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” (John 6:12-13). Another time He called to His fisherman-disciples asking if they had caught any fish. At their answer of “no,” He instructed them to cast in the net one last time, to their astonishment there were so many fish, more than a normal nights catch, that it almost sank the boat! Now that doesn’t sound like “just enough” to me.
I would have been “enough” for Christ to die for a few, but He died for all. It would have been enough to just get us back from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of His Father, but He didn’t stop there. Not only are we forgiven our sins He has redeemed us from the curse, given us health and life, given us all authority in heaven and earth, given us His Word, His Holy Spirit, I could go on like this for hours, but for the sake of the length of this blog I’ll stop here. He gave extravagantly, wondrously more than enough and promises that He wants to even give us “more than we could ask or think.” Jesus never wanted us to live day by day, that was never even God’s intention for the Children of Israel in the wilderness. He was taking them to the promised land, flowing with goodness. It was their stubbornness and lack of faith that got them to the dessert with Manna for breakfast, lunch and dinner. His desire for us is “MORE.”
Why does He provide more than enough? So we can share. Isn’t that what the gospel is all about? Sharing? I am sure that the author of that book wasn’t saying for us to be selfish, in fact part of the reason he gives for downsizing is to help others and spend more time working on relationships than running. I agree, we have gotten too busy, work, school, study groups, PTA meetings, Bible studies, ball practice, dance class, the gym, grocery shopping, picking up kids from the daycare, etc, etc, etc. But…we can’t limit God because of our messed up priorities. We choose how we spend our time. We choose what has our attention. He asks us to choose Him first. Then He promises to give us more than enough so that we can share it with others. “Freely you have received, freely give.”
So right now do you have “just enough” or maybe not even that much? Look at your priorities, look at your choices. Are you giving to God of your time, money and resources? Or are you like so many of us who have been caught up in life here on earth and just trying to get by? Sometimes we get just enough because of our stubbornness and lack of faith, but remember that isn’t His will for us. His will is and always has been, and forever will be to give us everything He has. Period.

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Sometimes…

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Sometimes…
Sometimes I am like Jonah, not wanting forgiveness for ‘them.’
Sometimes I am like the Sons of Thunder, wanting to call down fire from heaven.
Sometimes I am like the Pharisees only wanting to clean the outside.
Sometimes I am like Judas, wanting God to do things my way.
Sometimes I am like the Children of Israel complaining over Manna.
Sometimes I am like Paul, crying ‘Oh, wretched man that I am.’
But…
Sometimes I am like Mary sitting at the feet of the Teacher.
Sometimes I am like Peter stepping out and walking on the water.
Sometimes I am like David with a song in my heart and praise on my lips.
Sometimes I am like Abraham pleading for just one righteous man.
Sometimes I am like Ruth leaving all behind and cleaving with love to the future.
Sometimes I am like Steven looking into the face of Christ.
Sometimes I am even like Jesus, walking in His love and light.