Time to Open the Jewelry Box

I have a lot of old jewelry and last year I decided I’d take it to a “gold party” and see what I could get out of it. The pieces I took were not sentimental, just twisted necklaces and broken rings. Some necklaces had wadded up together in an old box, but I took them as well. I couldn’t begin to tell what they were.

At the party the hostess laid everything I brought out on a cloth. She sifted through them and sorted them out. Then she pulled out a small magnet. Each magnetic piece was placed to the left in a big pile. Then the non-magnetic pieces were laid in a smaller pile to the right.

Turns out that many of the things I thought were gold and silver were simply base metals. They held no real worth. It was only the gold and silver pieces that brought money.

God speaks. I am reminded of two things. First, we have such a huge load of stuff in life that we think is important. We can’t do without them. They’re ours. They’re vital to our own personal worth. They take up time, dusting, sorting, placing, using, throwing in the corner, polishing, buffing, shining, wearing and back again. Much time is spent caring about things that are not worth a dime.

Then there are the valuable things. The truly priceless and treasured things are small in the big scheme of life. They are the things that will bring eternal value. And they are the things that, when pushed on the trash heap and set fire will be found beneath the ashes. With each fire they go through they are only more refined.

Oh beloved, take your precious, important things to the Lord and let Him sift through them for you. He will gently and generously separate them out so that you can see more clearly what is truly valuable. He knows your heart, and He knows how you want to hold on to things. Sometimes it’s for fear that you’ll be totally without. Sometimes it’s because you’ve held them so long that you don’t know if you can make it. But God says if you will give Him everything, both piles – the precious and worthless – He will make something wonderful and use you for His glory. He is able to separate out everything, even the tangled messes, and prove which things are worth holding onto.

Just open the jewelry box of your heart and hand it all over to Him today. He loves you and He’s for you so He can always be trusted to let you keep that which is most precious to Him, just as you are most precious beloved.

2 Timothy 1:14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.

I Corinthians 3:11-13 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.

1 Peter 1:7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Psalm 19:9, 10 Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.

Psalm 119:37 Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through Your word.

Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you— Before Me you will stand; and if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them.

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.

Have you Struggled with Your Value Lately?

When Danny and I met, he often wore a suede jacket with leather fringe. I really liked that jacket, but Danny loved it. He had bought it on a trip to Mexico. After a while he hardly ever wore it, so it was relegated to the back of the closet.  We’d been married probably 10 years when I decided to put that old coat in a yard sale. Someone scooped it up right away. 

After Danny got home that evening I shared with him what all I had sold.  When I mentioned the leather jacket he was unhappy.  I guess because he hadn’t worn it in a long time I just didn’t think it meant anything to him.  I was frantic that I had gotten rid of it. I remembered that guys in commercials got hot under the collar when the old fraternity jacket or bowling shirt was thrown away.  Fortunately for both of us I was friends with the purchaser.  I called her and asked if she would mind selling me back the jacket, which she did.  That old coat is long gone now, but that day I was able to restore something of value to my husband.

We are quick to check out the value of things. We watch antiques shows on television, hoping to spy something that we too might have hidden away in a closet. Sometimes we cringe as we hear the value man has placed on an old piece of history. Who does the deciding anyway? What makes one picture so valuable and another totally valueless? 

Ever look at yourself and feel that you are worthless? Maybe you were told that one time and it has stuck with you all these years.  Someone may have told you that you were priceless and yet in the end, they dropped you like so much junk. You still feel it, you may still believe it, as you hear the words casually said at the time. Feelings have a way of creating our world. Instead of rising above it, we often bend beneath it. After all, you may think,  if they think I’m no good, of no value or rubbish, then it must be true.  We live with a lie because we allowed someone else to devalue us. 

Oh beloved, God says to you this morning, you are of incredible value! You are a one of a kind, priceless jewel to the Lord! When God looks at you He sees something special that no one else may see. He calls you by name! You are His! There may be labels on you that try to put you down but God’s labels cover it all – Redeemed, Precious, Beloved.  Rejoice with Him this morning that your worth is determined by God and not by man. Those who count will know this and those who don’t know it don’t count. Run to His Word and find all the magnificent things God thinks about you.  Even if you are struggling with labels you want to remove, give those things to God and let Him remove them for you! He is able to make all things new, including you! Oh how He loves you, beyond your wildest imagination! And oh how He is with you, making you more than you were and all that you can be in Him! Now that’s worth praising His Name!

Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 43:4 … you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake He made Christ to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become endued with the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

Psalm 107:2  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.

Romans 9:25 As He says also in Hosea, "I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, 'MY PEOPLE,' AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, 'BELOVED.'"

You Are God's Beautiful Treasure!

When we were young, it was fun to pick up coke bottles along the road for extra money.  They were all glass back then and you could redeem them for cash. It didn’t take long to have enough change to buy candy or some treasure at the store. Someone else’s throw away was worth something if you took the time to find it and take it home. Years later we find people collecting the old bottles that others had thrown away. The bottles themselves are now the treasures that people display on shelves in their homes.

The Lord says to you this morning, I know you have been discarded. You feel as empty as an old bottle lying in the ditch. But you are a treasure! And I have come to redeem you! I will not trade you in for gold or silver, for you are worth far more than anything man values. But I will take you and display you as a beautiful treasure for all to see in my Kingdom.  Who is the one who has pronounced you worthless? They do not know My Word. Who is the one who left you chipped and useless on the road of life? They do not count your worth as I do!

Oh beloved, you are a treasure, you are a beautiful picture of God’s redeeming love! Run to the One Who has bought you with a price and let Him bandage your wounds and set you on the mountain top. He loves you, He’s for you and His future for you is full of wonder as you live for Him. Lay aside the hurts and the disappointments and worship the One Who is worthy of all your praise!

 Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

I Corinthians 7:23a  You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for by Christ];

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.

I Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.