You are Priceless Treasure to the Lord

My mother was a trash to treasure kind of woman. She could spot something sitting on the side of the road, take it home and remake it. It would sit in its new place of honor and no one could tell it had ever been a castoff. I find myself doing the same thing. A rickety rocker or a bent frame can have a new life by a simple touch of a delicate hand.

God speaks to my heart: I’ve been a castoff. You may have too. Someone made a personal private decision that you were no longer worthy of their time, their presence or their attendance. So to the curb you went.  You tried to make yourself believe you were going to be okay, but the wind and the rain and the scorching heat as you sat in despair drenched you with sorrow. You wished, you hoped, you dreamed.

But before the trash truck can thoroughly destroy you, there comes One on the scene who has fallen in love with you. He has a place just for you; to display you in His home of grace, surrounded by His fields of blessings. This honored spot in His home is protected by goodness and mercy and unwavering devotion.

He picks you up, me up, all up and gracefully bundles us to Himself, holding us very closely and tenderly right near His heart. Although others are laughing and making fun – for you see they only see with their natural eye. They see tatters and rips, rusty edges and broken glass. They think the One who is carrying you is foolish for even bothering. Some are even mad that the thing they threw away in derision is now loved passionately by Another.

The simple touch of the delicate hand of the Master, the hands that were nail pierced along with the side wounded for you, has taken you in! You are no longer trash, you have become treasure! You have been Redeemed, Renewed, Restored! You are fragile indeed as He sits you in His Kingdom for His admiration and use. Everything about you is beautiful, perfect and useful.

Oh beloved, who told you that you were trash? Who cast you off? Who decided you weren’t worth knowing, loving or friending? Who spoke deceitful things about you? Who left you wounded on the edge of the street?

What is the truth about you? Is it the truth that you were dumped like so much junk? Or is it the truth that you, although considered worthless by others, have been bought with a price above all rubies?  Which truth you decide to live in is the truth you will become. And it is the truth you will share with others.

Run to the One Who picked you up out of the gutter and only sees you as priceless! He is your King and your God. But He is also your worth and your value. Others may spend their whole life on worthless things, but God gave His whole life because you are of extreme value to Him. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth is what God says about you. And He spreads the sweet fragrance of your worth around the world for others to be encouraged and set free from their own dumpster of lies.

Rejoice that God loves you extravagantly and watches over you continuously. He said you were worth it, and therefore you must walk in the light of His Truth every day of your life!

 

Psalm 72:14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to Him.

Isaiah 43:4 Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. (NAS)

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? (NAS)

Psalm 139:17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (NAS)

Are You a Treasure Detective?

We watched Treasure Detectives the other night. This show showcases items from the world of arts, antiques and collectibles. A team of investigators verify the authenticity of collectibles, artwork and antiquities using innovative technology and street smarts. Is it a worthless fake or is it worth a fortune?

The show’s host goes to great lengths to discover the truth. It’s quite different from Antiques Roadshow. On that program, by the time they’re on air the discovery has already been made and we just get the results, but on this show we see the amazing ways they use to find the true worth of an item.

We’ve all had experience with treasures. From toys we loved as children to collectibles we hold dear as adults, they were indeed treasures to us. As I get older I realize that treasures are less about the world’s idea of worth and more about my personal value of them.  

Things are wonderful and it’s great to see that an old painting that had hung in a barn is actually worth millions, but it’s just stuff any way you slice it. But there are true treasures that hold their value forever.

God’s Word is the greatest treasure ever known. Its creator is the Lord of Heaven and Earth. It has been proved and tried and re-discovered. It’s the real deal. No myths, no touch ups, no cover ups. Pure treasure. It is unquenchable, unstoppable, pure gold. It was here before antiquity began, it will stand for eternity. No test can destroy it, no fake can replace it, no person can disprove it.

Have you been looking at worldly treasures to meet your needs? Have you tried to make people, places or things be your all in all? Have you been disappointed when they failed the test of time? If things are your focus, eventually they will lose their gleam, but when God is your focus, His Word becomes more and more treasured in your heart. Other things then find their rightful place. It makes things easier when we put His Word first in our life for that is where we find not only the Word’s worth, but our true worth as well.

Oh beloved, the Lord is your greatest treasure! His Word is His proof of worth. He never lies, He will remain faithful, His care is eternal, He never disappoints and His love will never fail! He knows that you’ve been disappointed. You may have been cast aside as worthless, but He says to you, My Beloved, you are worth more to Me than My own life – for I gave My Son as ransom for you. I love you forever, I treasure you eternally and I will remain your God forever. Look to Me for your true worth and let Me share with you all the treasures of My kingdom.

Every treasure of God’s Word is yours beloved – reach out to receive your inheritance and bask in the love, the care and the faithfulness of God. He loves you and He’s for you and that’s all that really matters.

Psalm 119:111 Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight.

Psalm 119:162 I rejoice in Your word like one who discovers a great treasure.

Isaiah 33:6 In that day He will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.

Malachi 3:16-17 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name. “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.

Luke 12:7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Deuteronomy 7:6 For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be His own special treasure.

You Are God's Greatest Treasure!

We love to watch American Pickers. Hitting back roads from coast to coast, the two hosts earn a living by restoring forgotten relics to their former glory.  Sometimes I cringe as I see them discuss items I know from my youth. To think a $5 toy is now worth hundreds is amazing. Danny and I will laugh and sometimes we find them looking at something with gleaming eyes that we once owned!  The two guys will go through junk and traverse waist high weeds looking for something they just can’t live without. They’ll go up into the loft of a barn that is sure to cave in any moment, but they’re not afraid because they are on a treasure hunt!

They both have an eye for things. Especially when evaluating potential purchases that are covered in mildew, buried under dust or broken into fragments. I’ll be worrying about chiggers and snakes but they’ll spy a rusty piece of junk. Next thing you know they’ll be extolling the virtue of their find.  Turns out it’s not junk, just looks like it.  It’s actually a beautiful piece of Americana that someone somewhere will pay five prices for.  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

You may have resigned yourself to living on an old shelf in the back room of life. As far as you can see, there is absolutely no virtue left in you. You feel worthless, useless, worn out, discarded, cast off. It could be someone has told you that you’re nothing. It could be that you have told yourself this for so long that you now believe your own heart.  You may even have mumbled to yourself: “trash”, “rubbish”, “disgusting”.  

Oh beloved, there is One Who is pursuing and seeking you. Though you may consider yourself trash, you may have been told you are trash, you are the Father’s greatest treasure! He is so incredibly fond of you that He’s gone all the way to the cross for you! He loves to restore forgotten lives to His glory! He doesn’t just take broken things to revive them; He takes them and makes them brand new!  Run to His Book of Treasures this morning and read all that He has written about you. His Words are loving, His restoration is gentle and His future for you is to set your feet upon the Rock!  Believe Him today and watch as He makes all things brand new! He loves you, He’s for you and that’s the True measure of your Worth!

Psalm 139:13-15 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

Isaiah 63:9  In all their suffering He also suffered, and He personally rescued them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.

Psalm 94:14  The LORD will not reject His people; He will not abandon His special possession.

James 1:18  He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession.