22
Treasure Hunts and Faith
Posted on April 22nd, 2008 in Faith, From the Word by Fred McKinnon
Ever go on a treasure hunt? Or as a parent, teacher, or relative, have you ever hosted a treasure hunt for your kids, family, or children that you love? I suppose one of the easiest “treasure hunts” I can relate to is the annual search for Easter Eggs.
Do you remember the suspense you’d feel, watching them search – giving them hints, nudging them on … all the while, holding your breath with anticipation in eager hopefulness that their search would produce the pleasure of finding the treasure.
As the parent or host of the event, the REAL JOY is in watching the seekers FIND their treasure. What pleasure comes from them giving up and calling it quits, leaving the treasure out in the field?
“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”. (Hebrews 11:6, NIV from YouVersion.Com)
In Hebrews 11:6, we see that “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must …” do the following:
1. believe He exists.
2. believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
The God-pleasing kind of faith doesn’t stop at just believing. It trusts and knows that God doesn’t just want to be believed in. He wants to have our confidence that He is good, and that we know He wants to bless us indeed. God-pleasing faith doesn’t back away from the treasure hunt with false humility. “I’m not good enough, nor do I deserve to find the treasure”. No, God-pleasing faith says “I believe in this, and I know that God wants me to search diligently and find the reward that He has for me”.
Is God pleased when we believe? Absolutely.
How much more is God pleased when we not only believe, but when we are resolved that the treasure hunt is not a futile waste of time. On the contrary, it’s sure to release a blessing and reward that He cannot WAIT for us to discover.
Are you earnestly seeking? And do you BELIEVE that HE wants to reward you? Are you willing to receive His reward, and what do you think that reward can look like? C’mon, don’t just say “God is my reward” … that’s the truth, but He wants to reward and bless us in many, tangible ways, right here in our world.
Click here to discuss it – let’s get started!
Related posts:
11 Responses to “Treasure Hunts and Faith”
Would you join in the discussion? Checkout the responses below, and click "reply" to reply to someone's comment, or scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to leave your own comment in the box!
seeing the picture makes me think of the annual church easter egg hunt…literally thousands of eggs put out and hundreds of children…when the hunt starts, no sits down! no one walks slowly! every last child runs with all they have to find those eggs…
i pray that we seek after God in that same way! great post!
Excellent stimulation for discussion! Oh, the treasures our God has already released in the spirit realm for us. And, yes, He desires we find them as tangible manifestations of His goodness for His sons. We find them as we, as you have so well described, seek Jesus with diligence. For “all the promises (treasures) of God are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ in Him.
A very encouraging post, Fred. I touched on this very thing at Inside Out these past 2 weeks when teaching on Worship. At the very heart of the fall of man, in the Genesis story, is the opposite of this: to question the Word of God, and to question God’s goodness towards us. Thanks for the AWESOME reminder of this verse. I wish I had thought of it last Wednesday night!
Jon,
Awesome addition, I hadn’t thought about that – the “child like” faith just believes, and is excited, isn’t it. I Agree, we should run in our “earnest seeking” for Him.
Dad,
Yes and Amen – that settles it, doesn’t it!
Shannon,
Cool – I need to get those CD’s. Think of that Genesis story – where they believed the opposite, and look where that gets us.
When Dan Harris explained seeking God to me sometime around 1999 it changed my life. I’ve been seeking ever since. The times I’ve sought hardest have been the best times of my life. Thanks for writing this.
[...] pursued God!” …WOW! OUCH!! (i was reminded of this again in reading a post on fred’s blog earlier in the [...]
RT @musikamade: Aufsteiger: #3: Mtv Unplugged: Mtv Unplugged von All Time Low (Künstler) 433% Verkaufsrang in Musik: 3… http://bit.ly/9Gg
RT @sf_fandom: New Thread: Pandorum – Fun SciFi Movie: Pandorum is a smart thriller of a science fiction film simil… http://bit.ly/9Gg …
RT @sf_fandom: New Thread: Pandorum – Fun SciFi Movie: Pandorum is a smart thriller of a science fiction film simil… http://bit.ly/9Gg …
RT @sf_fandom: New Thread: Pandorum – Fun SciFi Movie: Pandorum is a smart thriller of a science fiction film simil… http://bit.ly/9Gg …
jeh ketawa lg lu ranRT: @ratchyy: akakakakRT @andifaathiroky: Q:eh bibir yang punya sepatu aladin A:songong nih babon -_- http://bit.ly/9Gg