#BU-a Treasure
When God prepared to bring the Israelites into the land He had for them He presented them with His instruction list of “do’s and don’ts.” There were stipulations they would need to follow once they defeated the seven nations as God had planned. Maybe, if you’re like me, you might have wondered why God makes these lists that seem so stringent in the first place. But after reading a few verses in Deuteronomy, He explains Himself when He says, “For you are a holy people [set apart] to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be a people for His own possession [that is, His very special treasure]” (Deuteronomy 7:6 AMP).
God’s chosen people are a treasure to Him. As a child of God, you are a treasure to Him, and as such, He has set you apart to be holy.
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a treasure is, an asset that brings praise or renown, something of great worth or value, or a person esteemed as rare or precious. Isn’t it remarkable that God views His children as an asset to Him for the purpose of bringing Him praise and renown? You were designed to live esteemed by God as a rare and precious treasure, and bring Him glory in every aspect of your life. In the story of Job, God bragged about the asset Job was to him in a chat with Satan. “…there is none like him (Job) on the earth…” (Job 1:8) He said. God knew Job would be an asset and bring Him glory even though he would endure immense suffering.
Jesus was a Treasure to God; He was, after all, His One and Only Son. As an Asset to God, He is our greatest example of suffering for the sake of others and honoring God through the act of submission. There was that moment in the Garden when Jesus asked, “My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39, AMP, emphasis mine). In this moment of anguish, we see that Jesus went to the cross, not out of obedience, but out of submission to His Father’s will. He laid aside His personal desire to abort the plan, and submitted all of His personal power and authority to God for the greater good.
That’s not always an easy task, is it? To trust God cares for His treasure when it hurts. When I am swallowed up in suffering, my instinct is to surrender to the fear and pain of the situation rather than set aside personal agendas, and submit to God the Father. However, everything God is asking us to do is based upon what Christ has already done—and we are in Christ. Jesus honored God by submitting to His plan, and “He did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free” (Matthew 20:28 NIRV). The very foundation of honor is submission.
Unfortunately, because of rampant abuse in the world and the church, submission has become one of the most difficult words we encounter within the Scriptures. Because of its abuse throughout generations, we often view submission through a personal filter that results in a strong pushback – especially in women. It’s difficult to see clearly through scars and barriers. However, regardless of our past experiences, or what we’ve been taught, if we unpack the meaning of submission—as defined by God—we discover we become an “asset able to bring praise and renown (fame)” to the One who owns the treasure every time we honor God through acts of submission.
We are not implying that anyone stay in abusive relationships. Don’t listen to that lie. God never intends for anyone to remain where harm could come to him or her. There is a vast difference between abuse and being uncomfortable. But, God probably will ask us to remain in the workplace with the nasty boss–for a season. He’s going to request that you be kind to people who haven’t been kind to you. He’s going to ask us to do hard things. Jesus wasn’t rerouted by His mistreatment or lack of honor because His confidence was in who God was, and He knew who He was. Jesus knew people were broken, and He wasn’t moved by their brokenness. Let’s not be moved by people’s brokenness.
Jesus was never controlled by His circumstances. Isn’t that amazing? How freeing would it be for you today if you were never again controlled by your circumstance? Discovering your identity in who God says you are, and putting all of your confidence in who God says He is, would bring that freedom to each one of us. We’d all have a clearer understanding of honor and submission. This would prevent us from allowing the broken to sideline us out of fear. It would also keep us from changing God’s Word to fit our brokenness, rather than allowing God’s Word to heal us in our brokenness.
God’s intent for submission has always been for the greater good, and our safety. He’s never going to ask us to submit to anything to harm us. We are to “commit our works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], and our plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance]” (Proverbs 16:3, AMP). Paul wrote that “the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot” (Romans 8:7, AMP).
It’s our hope to #Activ8Her transformational thinking with this simple truth: Belief determines behavior. It’s time to listen to what God says about you. Believe you are an asset to God, and as such, live to bring Him praise, honor, and fame. If God says we are an asset to Him (something of great worth and value) yet, we refuse to accept this as truth, how will we activate behavior that brings Him the glory He deserves?
Make Him famous! Submit to His good plan for your life because you are His treasure. If you have suffered any type of abuse, it is our prayer at Activ8Her that you would allow God to activate healing to your soul. He loves you so much.
Confession of Faith: Because I am an asset to God, I know His will is to protect me, guard me, keep me safe, He’s not going to ask me to do submit to something to cause me harm. It might hurt my pride, and it might be hard, but I need to stop being afraid of hard things.
Activ8ing Her for Him,
Kolleen