Treasure part 5
I think I kind of tried to mention this parable so I want to close this Rant series with it: Matthew 13:45-46, "Again, the kindgom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." Now, to me, Jesus is the merchant man. And we are the pearls. We are the treasure that He was seeking. All throughout the Old Testament the cry of God's heart was that He wanted to be our God and He wanted us to be His people. He wanted that connection. That relationship. And, to be true, HE always had it. In the garden, after eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, MAN hid from the presence of God. But HE swore that He would never leave us nor forsake us. So, like any good Father, He did everything that needed to be done in order to take care of His children. In order to make that reconciliation, that relationship, possible. He didn't just give His life FOR us, He also gave His life TO us. Because He wanted us to have it. He wanted us to experience His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life by living it in us, and through us, and as us. He wanted to share what He has. Who He is. So He sold everything. Gave everything. Literally laid His life down for us. Got rid of any separation between God and man by God taking up abode (or dwelling) IN man! So God paid for the treasure--us. Which means we don't have to. We don't have to spend our other two T's (Time, Talent) trying to get something we've already got. We can simply receive it and release it. We can let what's inside flow out by knowing and believing that it's in there. Filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've already been filled with. Not seeking a treasure, but USING our treasure to enrich others. Seeing ourselves (and each other) AS the treasure. And spending ourselves (on each other) appropriately. Giving what we've got. Not trying to get anything, but giving what we've got. Love is never about getting. Because love IS giving. Giving what you've got. Being who you are. Letting what's inside come out. That's the Divine Order of things. That's what this abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love is all about; letting God love us and loving Him back by loving each other. Using the treasure to enrich the treasure. Giving what we have--who we are--to each other. And we can do it... because God did it for us. Again, receiving and releasing. Breathing God's love in and out. Filling yourself to overflowing by emptying yourself out. And you'll find that BY emptying yourself you really ARE filling yourself. If God wants you to love people (and He does) He has to first equip and empower you to love. He has to give you what you need before He can require it of you. So don't worry about giving and giving and ending up with nothing. That's not how this works. The more you give, the more you have TO give. The more you give, the more you experience what you have! You are the prize. You are the treasure. And so is everybody else. Don't try to get, or hoard, the treasure. Use it. Share it. Give it away. And in that way experience it!