05/06/2022
God gives us blessings, treasures, that we don’t see coming, and He does so to show us that he is God, and that He loves us, but what do we do with that treasure once it is received? How much do we value it when the package arrives and it has our name on it? How do we react to the old and new gifts God gives us?
“I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.”
Isaiah 45:3 ESV
I don’t do it often, but occasionally I surprise my wife with flowers, or a gift of my labor that she isn’t expecting. On one occasion she went on vacation with our daughter and her family, and while she was gone I painted a hallway leading down to our garage, the bathroom in our basement, and took down the wooden handrail in the stairway, stripped it, and refinished it to match the wood in rest of our house. These things were intended to surprise her, and show her how much I loved her. They were all projects that she had been talking about for quite some time, but they had never bubbled to the surface of our list of things to do… she was very surprised by them, and she commented on them for quite some time afterward… it was a gift of love, and showed that I was her husband who heard the things she said, and knew her heart. God does such things for us, and they come at the most unexpected times. He gives us blessings that we don’t see coming just to please us, and to see our reaction. You see, not everything is a reward; some gifts are given “Just because we love.” How do you react when God gives an unforeseen gift? How much value do you place on it? When a glimpse of heaven is unexpectedly revealed to us, what do we do?
““The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 13:44 ESV
This is the first of three parables in which Jesus tells about hidden or unexpected treasure in order to teach us about the value of salvation, Heaven, and the nature of eternity with God. Each of them begins with a surprise discovery, shows our reaction, and demonstrates the value we place on them. Listen to the second parable…
““Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Matthew 13:45-46 ESV
And finally the third…
““Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:47-50 ESV
God blesses us with a gift, we value it with our lives, and in the end it becomes our most prized possession. Do we actually behave this way when He surprises us? You see, the gifts of love I give my wife are not new because we pledged our love to one another many years ago, but the manifestation of that love is what is in the net today, it is new, and special indeed. Whether God simply says He loves us for the millionth time, or surprises us with some new manifestation of himself, He is lovingly saying our name, and telling us that He is our Lord, our God, and that His love for us still flourishes. Do we drop everything we are doing, sell, or abandon everything we own, and embrace Him?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for every gift of love you bless us with, but especially for our Most prized and valued gift, your Son Jesus Christ. For Him we give up everything, and pick up our crosses. In Him is the embodiment of your love for us, and in Him we manifest by our love and faith for you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who loves and blesses us when we least expect it. Great are you who surprised us with your Son in Bethlehem, and will surprise us with Him yet again as He comes to claim His betrothed to be His bride. Praised be your name Lord for every gift you bless us with as we wait for Jesus to return. Feel within our hearts the fullness of our love for Him, and see how we embrace the gifts He sends. Let your Holy Spirit prepare us for His return, and our judgement. Wash us clean in His blood, and let our desire for Him be unrivaled by man. Judge us to be worthy, and our love to be complete, on that day of judgement. Call us your children, and give us the ultimate gift of eternity in your loving presence, and to live in your house forevermore.
““Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.””
Matthew 13:51-52 ESV
Rich Forbes