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THE KEY TO HIDDEN TREASURE
Children love stories about hidden treasure.
How exciting to discover the legend of a pirate ship that was wrecked just off the coast where they live and to find an ancient map that holds the clues to the secret place where the treasure chest lies buried! They diligently follow the instructions, dodge the villains who are also after the treasure, and endure capture and imprisonment until they are miraculously rescued. They eventually defeat the would-be thieves and dig up an ancient chest which is filled to the brim with gold nuggets.
A story like this holds children spellbound to the very last page!
God has His treasure chest, hidden in an ancient document written thousands of years ago. He has disclosed, in the pages of this manuscript – the Bible, details of His treasure and the way to find it. What is this ancient document, what is the treasure and how do we find it?
The Lord is exalted for He dwells on high; He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure (Isa. 33:5-6).
Many areas of the world are in a ferment of unrest; crime, violence, protests, discontent, racial tension and war, not to mention family disintegration; divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, rebellion, and even family murders are tearing society apart. Our world is in desperate need of divine intervention.
However, most of the world is not even looking for a treasure like the one God offers. Gold is what they are after – gold to satisfy all the needs and wants of this life, even though gold is as transient and perishable as any other earthly treasure. People use every means possible, even to plundering others to achieve their goal of gaining more wealth, but where does it get them? More alienation, more aggression, more disruption in society and more personal disintegration – all in the name of “progress”.
In spite of the pursuit of money, deep in our hearts, we know that the possession of wealth does not bring happiness; ownership is transient (it can disappear in a heartbeat) and money cannot buy what our hearts crave. We cannot throw money at our problems in the hopes that money will solve everything.
God’s treasure is indestructible – salvation, wisdom,and knowledge. What does He mean by salvation? We have narrowed our understanding down to having our sins forgiven so that we can go to heaven when we die. Is that really the reason for Jesus’ appearance on the earth? Did He come to save us from hell? Perhaps, but He came to earth for a far greater purpose than that.
Adam’s declaration of independence put the entire universe on a path of destruction. Jesus came to reveal, to reconcile and to restore. He came to reveal the true nature of the Father – not the demanding disciplinarian His people made Him out to be but the Father who loves His erring and wayward children enough to sacrifice His Son for them.
He came to reconcile the Father’s estranged children to Him and to restore everything that Adam’s rebellion ruined, including our fellowship with the Father, to God’s original intention. He came to give us life, His life in its fullness. He came to restore God’s just and righteous rule on the earth so that His human family can again enjoy His love, joy and peace in harmony with Him and with one another.
God’s treasure chest holds three great treasures – salvation (wholeness of body, soul and spirit), wisdom (living in harmony with God’s ways) and knowledge (personal experience of the love and fellowship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – what Jesus called “eternal life” – John 17:3).
How do we gain access to this treasure?
We don’t need a map to find the way or tools to dig it out of the earth. God has given us the simple answer – The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. What is the fear of the Lord?
“Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous. Deuteronomy 10:12, 20-21 records, “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” The fear of God is the basis for our walking in His ways, serving Him, and, yes, loving Him.
Some redefine the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him.
Believers are not to be scared of God. We have no reason to be scared of Him. We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshipping Him in awe.”
http://www.gotquestions.org/fear-God.html – retrieved May 2106
When we fear the Lord in such a way that it affects the way we live, we will have free access to the treasures of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. This is the treasure that can never be destroyed and anyone can freely find it if we fear the Lord. Society does not change through revolution but through transformation – one life at a time being transformed by the power of God as we trust in and submit to His authority and rule in our lives.
Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son - The Way to the Father's Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You'll love it!
ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3, eBook 978-4828-0511-6
Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.
Do you like this post? Then buy your own copy of my book, Learning to be a Disciple, which is also available from www.amazon.com or www.takealot.com in South Africa. You can also order a copy directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com
Watch this space!
My latest book, The Heartbeat of Holiness, will also soon be available.
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