God's Word: Is it your Greatest Treasure?

My husband is preparing his sermon for tomorrow and asked me to share my views on the text. When I read it, I had to laugh. The text is from Matthew 13:44-46 "The kingdom in heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field..."

Today we bought our first van. Even though it's not brand new, it is an amazing vehicle when you compare it to our other car or our previous cars. It has AC, a DVD player, and seats that will make travel to our home state very easy...even when it's over 100 degrees outside.

When I think of the verse above and the gleam in my husband's eye when he first described the van and explained how we shouldn't pass up the opportunity to buy it since they aren't often such good quality here in Nigeria, (All cars on the main market are used, or second new as we say here.) I began to wonder when I last became so persuasive over God's Word and His amazing love.

I must confess, I haven't felt God's wonder much these past weeks, rather I've felt pretty blah. This part of the school year is always tough because we don't always have a break between mid October and when we close for Christmas. It's tough too because there are tons of school activities for students and events for the community so everyone starts feeling pulled and drained. As such, it's easy to get tired and discouraged.

Yet when I think of these verses I have to stop and ponder on how easy it is to get excited about a new piece of property or something new in our life, like a "new" van or a new haircut, but how often do we rush to our friend and say, "Did you see this in the Bible? Do you know what this means to me? Can I share this precious gift with you?"

Growing up I used to hear the saying that suggested we should be careful with whom we talk politics and religion, but if we can't talk about God to those that are important to us or to those with whom we spend much of our work day, then what's the point? Why should we be so selfish to think that this special gift wouldn't be appreciated by someone else.

We often get so worried about rocking the boat or making someone uncomfortable by mentioning God, but in actuality, we end up not valuing those friends enough by being quiet. If there's a choice between sharing God's love with someone who might be seeking for the Truth and risking losing that friend if we mention God, we are being extremely selfish to decide to remain silent about our passion for God. (Psalm 39 talks about the anguish that can come when we do this and Psalm 40 talks of God's response to us.)

It's true, we shouldn't force God on anyone, or insist they understand our excitement, but I don't see anything wrong with letting others see a glimpse of our love relationship with God, to share a great insight we've gained from reading about Jesus life, or explain the new meaning revealed to us by the Holy Spirit during our personal devotion time. If God is really important to us, then let others see His Joy flow from our lives and when those blah days try to get you down, take time to stay in the Word and give thanks that God's Joy never fizzles out, even when our own threatens to do just that.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to my heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. Psalm 20:8
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. Psalm 33:3-4

A Rainy Saturday

It's a rainy afternoon and I don't really know what I am going to write, but I've been enjoying reading some other blogs and feel it's time to write again.

This was the first Saturday morning I haven't had to rush to Women's Fellowship at church because we shifted it to Sunday after service. Many women have a hard time getting there Saturday because they either work, have classes or struggle to find childcare. Since I am leaving for the US soon, I think tomorrow will be the last time I lead. I hope attendance becomes more regular so it works to make a schedule; if I continue to lead when I get back from the US I think I'll lose some of the joy of getting to know the other women.

Tomorrow I plan to talk about the importance of daily devotions; not just reading the Word, but actually pondering on it and if possible, studying with a commentary or Bible Study.

These past few years I have gone through four of Beth Moore Bible Studies and have really appreciated both the depth and the frequent delving into the Word that the studies require. The ways the studies have impacted me are sometimes difficult to pinpoint, but the need to read almost daily has been a discipline that has impacted me on a holistic level. What I mean by the use of that word is that as I read and ponder on a regular basis, more regularly than I have for some years, I find that my mind and spirit are more in tune with God and in the process he is transforming my whole being and my whole worldview to be more one with Him.

When I was teaching English in at Bronnum Lutheran Seminary and then Lutheran Junior Seminary in Adamawa State of Nigeria I used to tell my students that studying English is a process and each time you look at it from a higher grade and a more mature/deeper level you in turn gain a deeper understanding of it. Now I feel the same way about my faith. I have been a Christian for many years, but I love that my faith too is an ongoing process in which I continue to take my relationship with God at a deeper level. I still find that I learn some lessons over and over and often gain different perspectives about how God is revealed in my life but when I hit those low and difficult times the depth of my relationship enables me to turn that much faster to God's wisdom, grace, and unending love and forgiveness.

I hope that as I share some of these insights with the women tomorrow, I can do so without sounding too perfect, like I think I'm better than anyone else because of my discoveries, but rather that my excitement, joy, and appreciation for my relationship with God will challenge them to also seek a deeper level of their own relationship with God. That is my prayer for you too. Quality relationships take a commitment of time, and that includes a relationship with God. May you too seek a deeper relationship with the one true God.

Dorthea