Life’s Treasure
It has been quite a season.
I’ve been working at PBCC as a software / tech director for the past month, and it has brought unexpected blessings. Blessings, especially in the form of meaningful connections with the pastors and staff, as well as blessings through the balance and structure it’s brought to many areas of my life. And I’m sure God has many more blessings and growth areas to bring up as we go!
It’s also been a season of big transitions — in more ways than one. In the midst of the searching, re-orienting (and pain & hope!) of transition, God has proven Himself over and over as the Faithful and True. And I’ve found the weakness of my grip on Him to be exposed again and again. And I’ve discovered that Jesus is indeed, as Shawn likes to put it, the Great Lover. Shawn taught it from John. I’ve been soaking it in from Romans 8 — a real gold mine.
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One of the items I’d like to revisit during this transition is Sabbath keeping. I’ve greatly enjoyed and have been inspired by excerpts of the book *Keeping the Sabbath Wholly*, and want to re-introduce Sabbath keeping into my Saturday nights & Sunday afternoons. Even in an earlier season when I first tried Sabbath keeping, finding meaningful Sunday activities was a challenge! Truly it can be more challenging to rest well than to work well…
Anyways, the point is that I’m hoping to share reflections on how God has been speaking to me more often! It seems like a good habit, in order to recount God’s work and to give thanks.
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Several weeks ago, John Hanneman gave a [sermon](https://pbcc.org/sermons/jeremiah-prophet-and-message/) overviewing the entire book of Jeremiah. It struck me that John described Jeremiah as “not a bullfrog”, but as “a friend”. Someone he could talk to, someone who would share a loving, realistic, and powerful perspective. And it was impressed upon me that Jeremiah is a friend I should get to know.
In many ways, I felt similar to Jeremiah. I didn’t have an amazing calling from God as a teenager, well, not in quite the same way that Jeremiah did (Jeremiah 1:5-8), but I did have high expectations for myself, given the position I’ve been so blessed to be put into during my childhood and young adult years.
And yet recently, perhaps much like Jeremiah, I wonder if I “peaked too early”. If all the hope and promise has come to fruitlessness. Jeremiah proclaimed a difficult message for 40 long years. Forty years! And with what result? Seemingly nothing. The people did not repent. Idol worship and abominable practices continued to pollute the land. Judah was hauled off to Babylon. Jeremiah was sent to Egypt.
And not only was his work difficult (and seemingly interminable at times) it had great personal cost. Cost on his safety, his personal, social, and emotional wellbeing, cost in his being forbidden to marry or start a family. So what is the value of his life? What future can he hope for? Where does Jeremiah have to go that will be a broad place, a place where he may find hope, freedom, and joy?
Like any good pastor, John posed the question and left it hanging in the air :)
He only asked us in return: “what do you need from Jesus today, in order to be faithful to your calling like Jeremiah?”
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The related Scripture reading passage that Sunday was 2 Corinthians 4:7-12:
> 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.
What an amazing passage! But what is this treasure?
Well, one could make the case that it’s the ministry we’ve received from Jesus (4:1). Or, the gospel (4:3). Or, it could be knowing Christ intimately. “God… is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (4:6). Perhaps it’s all three, but I want to expand on the third.
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In the past several years, it’s become more and more evident to me that the greatest treasure in life, the broad place, the place where I can find endless hope, freedom, and joy, is in knowing Jesus. Getting to know Him more and more. Living life together. Falling deeper and deeper into love, into His love. Gaining perspective on His earthly life, and His resurrected life.
It is an indestructible life. It is a life that always proceeds in triumph (2 Cor 2). For if we are treated unjustly, if we are ruthlessly betrayed — we get the privilege of walking in our Savior’s footsteps. If we are delivered from evil, we get to see the character of Jesus, His goodness and love. If we are redeemed, bought out of the death of our own sin — we get to bow at His feet and worship, joining in His life, which He lives to God (Romans 6).
Not only have I found knowing Christ to be “a treasure”, or “a broad place”, (i.e. one good option among many…) I have found it to be the supreme treasure. The supreme joy, hope, and freedom. Surpassing all else. It doesn’t get any better than this!
All else: service, sanctification, spiritual gifts, etc… flow more strongly through a life whose greatest treasure is knowing and being known by Jesus. What else could I ask for, but to know Jesus as my Lord, my Husband, my Redeemer, my Friend…!
P.S. a friend noted: "isn't it funny how the narrow path is our broad place!"