Scripture: “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Malachi 3:17
I love that show American Pickers on The History Channel. If you have never watched it, it is these two antique dealers who travel all over the country in search of treasures. The things they find may not always look like great finds, but I am sometimes amazed at what they consider to be of value. These two dudes crawl into some of the gnarliest places digging through people’s “collections”. And they do it with great enthusiasm.
I wonder if maybe that is how God sees us. We pile years of sin and shame on top of what He sees is a treasure. He keeps driving by and asking if he can dig into our pile and we are not willing to let Him. If we will just open the door to the old garage of our heart, He can come in and pilfer through the dirt and grime and find that thing in us that He meant to be a treasure. He is always willing and does it with great enthusiasm.
Have you been feeling inadequate? Perhaps you feel unaccomplished. Maybe you have just been trying to find yourself under the pile. Well a simple prayer can pry open a small enough crack in the door to let God in, so that He can uncover and restore your treasure. What do you have inside that God can use to bring Him glory? There is a treasure in there.
Leslie Stephens
McMinnville, TN
Prayer: O great God, you turn our trash into great treasure! Help me to be willing to give my life to you for restoration. Amen.
Prayer Tip: Always invite God into your heart, your life, your home, your car, wherever you are praying. It is called invocation and God likes to know He is welcome.
(The picture is what is left of a burned bible I found in the rubble after my home place burned in January 2008.)
