God's Treasure

A San Jose man needed no treasure map when he reportedly stumbled on to $500,000 worth of gold and silver after bidding on an abandoned storage unit. The man, identified only as John, apparently paid $1,100 for the unit only to see his blind investment turn into a goldmine after a number of rare coins and a few gold and silver bars were found in the blue Rubbermaid container.

The reported find, in Contra Costa County, was so unexpected that even though the auction was held by American Auctioneers, the subject of A&E's Storage Wars, there were no cameras present when the cache was discovered.
 

Even without cameras Laura Dotson, the co-owner of American Auctioneers along with husband Dan, still said she was delighted.
 

"It helps, it solidifies what we're doing in the business," Dotson told ABCNews.com. "It shows hope that with all these units, that there is treasure to be found."

Although the buyer wants to remain anonymous, Dotson said he called her after getting the gold and silver appraised. According to Dotson, the first thing he said was, "Wow, this is a wonderful life."

 

While the coins were apparently found in the unlikeliest of treasure chests -- a Rubbermaid container – it was said to have been heavy enough that three men had to carry it out.

Dotson says the plastic container initially piqued the buyer's interest, although for more pragmatic reasons. "He said that he liked it was in [plastic] and clean and easy to move," said Dotson. "It's a chance of a lifetime."

Pretty amazing right?

Finding a buried treasure stashed away in a very unlikely container?

I came across this story last night and sat there trying to imagine what my life would be like if I were to find a treasure like that?

One word came to my mind.

RICHER!

Then I came across an equally amazing passage in scripture that I had missed before. It was in a letter that Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus.

He is telling them that he thanks God for them in his prayers and then drops this "proverbial treasure laden Rubbermaid container" of a passage on them.

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints," ~Ephesians 1:17-18

Did you see it???

No? It's OK, I missed it the first few times I read it.

OK. I will list it again and underscore it.

"...that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,"

What Paul is saying is this:

"I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future he has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to him!"

God is richer because He has us. He desired us.

Did you know that God desires you?

Did you know that in the relationship with God He is the one that says He got the better end of the deal?

You look in the mirror at the "Rubbermaid" container and see a certain amount of value. Perhaps you see little value when you look in the mirror.

God sees treasure if you are His.

God looked at you the day you entered into a personal relationship with Him and said, "Because I now have __(YOUR NAME)_, I AM RICHER!!!!"

You may say, "Dan, that sounds really good, but I don't believe it."

You don't have to believe it to make it true.

The deeper you grow in your relationship with Father, the more you come to the knowledge that He does not need you, nor did He ever need you. You discover the amazing truth that God WANTED you.

Your container was the placed on the auction block and God looked at you and decided that your container, scratched, dented, marked up, and even crushed was worth the asking price. The blood of His Son Jesus. He paid the price and picked you up and rejoiced because He was now RICHER!

Read Luke chapter 15 and notice the way Jesus (Who by the way said that everything He said came from the Father) referred to us as a lost sheep, a lost child, and yes... a lost coin!


RICHER!!!

 
I want to show you who else got RICHER because of that purchase.

See the container that God redeemed was empty when He bought it.

So the sight of God rejoicing at the auction booth over an empty container and claiming to now be RICHER because He had in in His possession seems a bit crazy right?

You paid such a high price for an empty container?

Oh most people may stop the story of the gospel with the resurrection, but if they do they miss the rest of the gospel. The rest of the story is what happened with that Rubbermaid container!

The rest of the Gospel is what God put into that Rubbermaid container!!!

"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.   For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. " ~2 Corinthians 4:5-7

Romans 8:11 tells us that we have the same Spirit within us that raised Jesus from the dead. God placed within us His Holy Spirit.

The Rubbermaid container that you stared at when you looked in the mirror this morning contains a treasure!

Be careful what you label that container or what labels you allow and accept to be placed on that container. No matter what has happened to it in the past or what is going on with it today, you contain treasure and you have made God RICHER because He owns you!!!

Say this before you close this blog out today.


"I AM  (NAME) , AND I AM GOD'S TREASURE. HE WAS MADE RICHER BECAUSE HE PURCHASED ME. HE HAS BEGUN A NEW WORK IN ME AND HE IS WORKING HIS WORK IN ME AND IT IS FOR MY GOOD! NOTHING CAN TAKE HIS TREASURE FROM WITHIN ME, BECAUSE MY CONTAINER IS SEALED UNTIL THE DAY OF REDEMPTION!"

Climbing with you,
~Dan