The Treasure of Heaven

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The Spring season is a reminder of the treasure God planted in us. It is also a reminder that the real treasure in heaven is people. 

Prayer Challenge Prayer

I pray for all those reading, watching, or listening to this and their families, friends, and those connected to them. I also pray for all of our church and governmental leaders. 

Thank you for releasing us from the darkness and transferring us into the light, into the kingdom of your dear son. Thank you for your purpose and grace given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. Thank you that Jesus was smitten by you and it pleased you to crush him so that we could have life, abundant life, a life that is one with you. 

I ask that you the father of glory would give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we would know you better and that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened to know the hope to which you have called us and the riches of your glorious inheritance, the treasure, that you put within us. And that we would know the immeasurable greatness of your power to us who believe, the same power that you exercised in Christ when you raised him from the dead and seated him at your right hand far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that it named in this age and the one to come. And you put all things under his feet and made him to be the head of the body the fullness of him who fills all in all. 

Heavenly Father, bless us. Make your face shine upon us and let us find grace and favor in your eyes. Expand our borders and our territory. Expand our capacity to receive your purpose and grace and all that you want to do in our lives and to let it flow through us so that we do good and are a blessing to people all over the world. Keep your hand on us and help us do TODAY, what is right and best in your eyes with peace, joy, and confidence in you. As we do stretch out your hand to heal and do signs and wonders. I ask that you heal everyone who is reading, watching, or listening to this from anything that is troubling them. And keep us from evil and pain through the mighty name of Jesus. 

The Treasure of Heaven

Spring is a reminder that God planted the spirit of Jesus in our hearts as a seed. There is treasure in our hearts. Inside of this seed is everything we need for life and godliness. 

Our message for April is finding God's treasure within. Think about an apple seed. Everything needed to make an apple tree, apples, and more trees is hidden in that tiny seed. In the same way we have a vast treasure in us and one of the keys to unlocking this treasure is the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 33:6 says the fear of the Lord is the key that unlocks the treasure. Part of the treasure in our hearts is God's purpose for our lives. We have been given purpose and grace in Christ Jesus before time began. As we walk out our charge or purpose in life it is important to do so with the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is honor, reverence, respect, and awe for God. It is living our lives with the desire to please him as our top priority. 

What is it that pleases God? Jesus said the whole law hangs on two things...Loving God and loving people. To practically apply these two things it starts with obedience. When we love God we are obedient and walk out his plans and purposes for our lives out of honor, respect, and awe for him, not out of obligation or being forced to. We do today this day, what is right and best and pleasing to him and we do it with peace and joy out of reverence for him. To make it very practical we can start doing today the things we know to do but have been procrastinating on. We are not doing this to earn favor with God, but to honor and revere him. We do it out of reverent submission. This is the fear of the Lord. 

The other half of this is loving people. Jesus told some people to sell their possessions and give to the poor so that they would have treasure in heaven. They would have an inexhaustible supply in heaven. I once heard a sermon by John Osteen in which he said the real treasure in heaven is people. When you give of your time, resources, and talents in order to help people and make others great a side effect is developing some amazing relationships. Jesus said to use money to make friends so that you would be received in eternal dwellings. The real treasure in heaven is people. In Malachi, it says that those who fear God will be His treasured possession. When we make it our goal to honor God it should flow into loving people and being a blessing because people are what God values the most. 

The other part of loving people is giving them the same grace God has given us. It is getting to the place where we not only love them but we truly cherish them. In my book The 8th Date, we talk about three levels. Level 1 is when someone does you wrong and you retaliate back at them. This is usually where we all start and it is a step of growth to move to level 2 which is where we learn to shut our mouth and not retaliate, but at this level we tend to withdraw our presence, avoid people, and give them the silent treatment. To walk in the fear of the Lord is live at level 3 which means that no matter what people do to you, your goal never changes, which is to do continually good and be a blessing to them. God has done this for us. In the New Covenant he has promised to give us grace and do continually good for us. He cherishes us as the apple of his eye. Our goal is to do the same for others and make other people great no matter what they do to us. All of this comes out of fearing the Lord and seeking to honor him, which means we also view people as treasure. 

Here is an interesting passage on the fear of the Lord from  Malachi 3:16 - 4:3 AMP

Prior to these verses the people were asking what good it did to fear God and walk in his ways. 

16 Then those who feared the Lord [with awe-filled reverence] spoke to one another; and the Lord paid attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who fear the Lord [with an attitude of reverence and respect] and who esteem His name. 17 “They will be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on that day when I publicly recognize them and openly declare them to be My own possession [that is, My very special treasure]. And I will have compassion on them and spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” 18 Then you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him.

4 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant (proud, self-righteous, haughty), and every evildoer shall be stubble; and the day that is coming shall set them on fire,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. ² But for you who fear My name [with awe-filled reverence] the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go forward and leap [joyfully] like calves [released] from the stall. ³ You will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” says the Lord of hosts.

For those that fear the Lord by walking in obedience to what he asks us to do and loving/cherishing people a scroll of remembrance is written by God about us and we become his treasured possession. Healing will come and you will go out like a calf leaping joyfully that has been caged in a stall. We become God's treasure when we treasure him and people.