Hidden Treasure

I wanted to take a quick break from THE BASICS COURSE where we are summarizing each book of the Bible. For those who have been enjoying the series, do not worry we will be back next week. However, I wanted to take a moment and share what I have been learning in my personal Bible study time. 

  It might come as a surprise to you, but my personal Bible study time and what I write on with Mill House Ministries are typically vastly different topics. I love writing to you all, but I am jealous for my time alone with Jesus Christ and to learn at my King’t feet. Proverbs 16:20  states, “He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.” Nevertheless, I believe He has placed it on my heart to shed some light on a subject that I recently learned. 

  For the past several months, I have been reading through the Bible in the pursuit of finding out more about God’s Personhood. Strange isn’t it to say that God has a personality. Yet, today I want to talk about how I came to study this topic, not the topic itself (if you all want a study on the personhood of God just ask and we can tackle that another day). 

  Years ago I was reading through Proverbs, and I stumbled across Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”  This startled me because of what I knew about how God viewed the Church! According to God, those who are of the Church and are born again will reign with Jesus Christ one day during the 1,000 year reign described throughout the Old Testament and outlined in Revelation 20. For those of us who are saved in this present age, we are considered Kings and Queens, 2 Timothy 2:12 states, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us,” it is even declared in Heaven and written down in Revelation 5:10 “And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” 

I am naturally an inquisitive person; and when I connected the dots that God saw me as a King and that it was the glory of God to conceal a matter but the glory of me to search it out, I took the challenge personally. Sitting there early that morning, I realized that the God of all creation had made an open declaration basically stating, “I dare you to come find my wonders.” While I do not want to sound poetic, my answer back to Him was as soft as a snowflake, “Here I am, I will search for what you have hidden.” Looking back I can tell you that snowflake was just what was needed to cause an avalanche. My desire to search out all the wonders of God have eclipsed all of life’s pleasures. 

  However, over the years this eternal search of God’s hidden wonders has caused me to come to the real life understanding that God has a personality and He is quite more alive than dare I say you and I ever have been. We can only search for Him with His help, it was John Bunyan who famously declared, “God is the only desirable good, nothing without Him is worthy of our hearts… The life, the glory, the blessedness, the soul-satisfying goodness that is in God is beyond all expression” yet do not be fooled into thinking it is impossible for us to find and understand Him. He very much is eager for us to seek Him.  Life was designed for us to come to a better and more complete understanding of who God really is, “Difficulties afford a platform upon which He can show Himself. Without them we could never know how tender, faithful, and almighty our God is” Hudson Taylor. God promised to us that if we seek Him He will allow Himself to be found, Jeremiah 29:12-14  “12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD.” While Jesus Christ is the exact representation of the Father, Hebrews 1:2-3 “in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Jesus declared to the disciples this very lesson John 14:7-10 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.” Yet, we have been given more than just the testimonies about Jesus Christ’s short time on earth! We have been given His very Word to you and I from Genesis to Revelation, with each letter, name, number, sentence, paragraph, chapter, and book declaring the wonders of God. If that is not good enough, just walk outside and ask God to reveal Himself to you and watch what happens. 

  In closing, John Arrowsmith once adequately stated, “a heathen philosopher once asked, “where is God?” The Christian answered: ‘Let me first ask you, where is He not?’” His divine personhood and personality is declared in creation and we need only to open our eyes to His Word for the outside world to finally come into focus and light. Just like the movie Wizard of Oz, when the black and white turned into color the world went from living to utterly thriving. The same is for us who study the Bible, seek the hidden treasures of God and see that life is an adventure that Christ has made for us to be with Him. We need not wait for Heavens Gates to walk and talk with the Lord, we can have that intimacy right now. If you are desiring this realness with Christ, all you need to do is ask Him and He is willing. A great example of this is in Matthew 8:1-3 “When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2 And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” There is no magic formula or religious zealotry that will open this deep understanding that God has declared, all you need to do is ask and He will do the rest. Remember He is daring you and I to seek after Him and find His wonders, it is about time Christians take Him up on this calling. 

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL