The Truth of the Treasure

I remember many times singing Isaac Watts’ hymn, Alas! and did my savior bleed “for such a worm as I.” For it was clear to me that the spiritually dead condition of  a life with out Christ is infinitely dark and hopeless. So what was worth redeeming?  Somehow I can't see Jesus in looking out over the crowd and in his heart full of compassion thinking what a bunch of worms.  I am not making light  the hopeless plight of our condition nor the utter need of God's redemptive love, but here is the question.

Are we not made in the image of the creator?  If we were to travel the universe to its see-able edge only to peer into the extended vastness of unlimited space and turn and travel back through the universe coming back to our galaxy and finally to our solar system we would travel past the planets and  would come upon a place called earth and after all that we explored we would come upon the only place in the entire universe that it is said that something is created in the image of God, that is you and I. 

Jeremiah wrote, “before you were in the womb I knew you”. We are created in wonder and power with the stamp of our very words having the ability to give life. At the tower of Babel God gave testimony to His creation “ there is nothing that man imagines to do that they cannot accomplish” And in epistle to Corinthians Paul states we have this “treasure in earthen jars”.

We are a treasure buried. I submit God did not come to save worms. He came to unlock treasures. Why is this thought so important?  It is simply this, if we fail to see the wonder of God's creation we will ever focus on the “jar and not the treasure”.  By extension we will be saving jars and not unlocking treasures. Every life apart from Christ is a treasure plowed under and buried. Each unique in itself endowed with the potential of its creator. Each life birthed with desires Fathered by God for the purpose of His Kingdom. Lives of unlocked passion and creative potential. Jesus came to restore our intimacy with Father and unleash the wonder of His creation to destroy the work of the enemy and restore the Kingdom of God on earth. And why of all creation is Satan bent on destroying the one thing that is in God image. All of his lies are directed and devised to take the image of God in man and plow it under along with all the potential for the Kingdom.

So this thought changes everything, as leaders we are called to find the treasure in everyone we meet. And with the message of the Gospel to revive, unlock and unleash the unique treasure in each life.  We are called to those who are redeemed by God yet held captive in thought to expose them to the truth of the treasure. To connect them to the wonder of how they are created, their passions, their desires Father by God, their 10.  Yes people need God to meet them at the deepest point of their need and give them hope. The hope of a life lived in the way the prodigal, extravagant Father intended. He didn't run for worms but with a ring a robe and shoes the Father's heart is to restore the treasure in His children. Now we get to do it also!!!