LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional
MAY 21 Posted from Cumberland Springs Bible Camp. Dayton, TN. Saturday 5/21/16
Today we are at the annual "Calvary Children's Camp" which is now in its 27th year. The theme for this year's camp for the 1st through 5th Graders is "Digging Deep to Find God's Treasures" and the memory verse comes from Proverbs 2:1-5 "My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." Pastor Steve used a passage from Luke 8 where Jesus is teaching the parable of the sower and the soils and related the condition of the soils to the success or failure of the seed to produce fruit. In the "hard soil" the seed could not take root and the result of the seed not being able to penetrate the hard soil it laid on top of the ground and the birds came along and ate the seeds so no fruit came from that soil. Pastor Steve then said that the soil in the parable is our hearts and the Word of God are the seeds. The kids quickly picked up on the "NO ROOT __NO FRUIT" part of the lesson and then they began to understand that as children that they need to "prepare the soil of their heart" so that the "seeds" they will get at this Calvary Children's Camp will take root and grow deep into their heart and then they will see the fulfillment of the "Promise of God" that if you will seek God's Word like you would seek for "hidden treasures" then God will reward you with treasures of great value, and they are "understanding and knowledge" of God Himself. The kids interest was at full throttle when the talk of "hidden treasure" and God's Promise that He will show us where these treasures are buried but we must "dig deep" in His Word. The kids really got excited when Brother Steve announced that they were going on a "treasure hunt" and were ready to start the hunt which began with lessons in using God's Word like a treasure map. The Holy Spirit put His Blessings on the Camp because for a week the weather forecast was for severe thunderstorms and heavy rains for Friday and Saturday but the light rain ceased when we drove onto the camp property on Friday evening and Saturday was sunny and dry so the kids got to enjoy their treasure hunt in God's Word and His world! The Holy Spirit had one more confirmation as He confirmed the theme of digging for God's Treasure in the Bible when I opened up my Oswald Chambers Daily Journal for May 21st written around one of God's greatest Treasure Promises that is found in Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." This is a great promise with great value for how much would you "pay" to not have to worry about what to eat, drink, or wear or how much would you "spend" on security that would guarantee that your valuables and precious possessions would be safe forever? Well the context for Matthew 6:33 begins with Matthew 6:19-21 that says "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth...lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also." Add to that very valuable advice from the Word the fact that Jesus said that we are not to worry about food or clothing for our "Father in heaven" promises to provide for all our need and all we have to do is to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness"! So here we are talking about treasure hunting in God's Word, and preparing our hearts to receive His Treasures and now the Holy Spirit directs us to the Treasure found in Matthew 6:33! The third source of confirmation can be found on this blog for MAY 18 as we reviewed the Jesus Question JQ#3 which is built around this same passage in Matthew 6:19-33 with the focus on how much God cares for us and His Promise to provide ALL OUR NEED. I know that getting rid of worry in our lives certainly could be called "priceless". Can you think of a better retirement plan than to have a "mansion" already paid for in a place that money can't can't buy and guaranteed that thrives can't break in?
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