Thursday 4 November 2010

God's Treasure Chest - 2


There are so many amazing things about grace, and there are quite a few books that have done great justice to that matter. I would however like us to pry into something I consider to be beyond amazing. Let’s talk briefly about God’s seeming ‘obsession’ with the heart – particularly the heart of man.  First of all, we all know It’s an absolute rarity to find the word ‘impossible’ associated with God, as the scripture says “…for with God nothing shall be impossible” Luke 1:37. Where we however find God linked to impossibility, then you’ll agree with me that such should demand our utmost attention.
We are told that …without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him Heb 11:6. The only place in the universe that has the capacity to deal with this impossibility is the heart of man – For it is with your heart that you believe... Rom 10:10. In other words, no other creature has the capacity to respond through faith but Man. And no other being in all creation has the ability to respond to faith but God. Whenever, or wherever man responds in faith, God shows up to honor it. When David said in his heart that “One thing have i desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after…” Psalm 27:4. God showed up saying “I have found a man after my heart,…” Acts 13:22. Where this divine ‘hide and seek’ is going on there is only one valid question – Who initiates the first response?
The Bible makes it clear that This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us… We love because he first loved us;” 1John 4:10;19. Faith is therefore not our pursuit of God, but our response to a pursuing God. Truly amazing isn’t it! With this in mind, we can begin to why Jesus saw, still sees a jewel of inestimable value in this earthen vessel, and will forever continue to respond to faith, wherever or whenever. Nothing else captures this more than recent insights from the global phenomenon that took place 2000 feet in the dark bowels of the earth in Chile

CBN News recently interviewed miner Jose Henriquez, the man some called "The Pastor," who helped his companions go from darkness into the light. He is a man whose life has been forged in the mines of Chile, where he has worked for 33 years. For the same 33 years, he has been married to his wife Hetiz. Thirty-three is also the number of miners who were trapped in the San Jose mine.  According to Jose, The 33 miners needed more than food and physical strength to survive 2,000 feet underground during those two months. "I believe that the key to all this was in the Word of God, in having believed God," he added. "That's why I say to the whole world that the Lord wants them to believe in Him to believe in His Word". http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/October/From-Darkness-to-Light-A-Miners-Story/


2Chro.16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.". God saw faith in the heart of one believing miner, and He came to the rescue of the entire 33. Some of us may have also felt trapped in our lives, maybe not 2000 feet below the earth, or perhaps deeper for some. Please don't lose hope. Such situations simply chart the course to the typical location of God's Treasure Chest. Where we see dark and deceitful, God sees weird and wonderful. The Bible tells us that "For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." 2Cor.4:6.

What God did at creation in Genesis, he is doing again in our heart. This time in the face of (or against the background of) the second Adam - Christ Jesus our Lord and saviour. The heart was the stage on which the story of grace began. It might appear to have been lost for a moment in time, thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him 2Cor.2:14" The light that gives the knowledge of God's glory has nowhere else to shine from but our hearts. This is why we are told to guard our hearts with all diligence, because out of it flows the issues of life Proverbs 4:23.
Wherever the enemy, the thief has come to steal, kill or destroy in your life, let's take heart and take Jesus at his word. His has come that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. The miner Jose had this life in him. He knew God, and through his faith in God, 33 miners spent 2months in the bowels of darkness, but God showed up. Today, they are definitely having that life in abundance. This life is also yours just for the asking. I humbly echo the words of the enbedded movie, 'though i ain't good enough, but he still loves me'. I welcome you to lift your hands, sing, dance and pray your way into this Love.