Treasure God for Who He is

When we kids were small, we used to love to go to the apple trees at our grandpa's house and choose an apple to snack on. It was a big deal for us - we monitored those luscious red orbs closely to see when they would be "just right." We'd stand on tiptoes (or, truth be known, climb up in the tree after making sure none of the adults were watching) and examine them for blemishes, holes, or (ew!) worms. We had our eye on the one that we wanted; we hoped it would be crisp but sweet, with that satisfying crunch as our teeth went through the sun-warmed peel . . . 

We treasured the chance to choose and eat those apples. I often heard grandma whispering the verse in Proverbs about apples of gold, when we would trudge back to the screened porch to eat our cherished apples. (And I don't think any apples since then have tasted quite so wonderful. Just sayin'.)

We are focused today on the treasure of God our Father. We should treasure Him above all else - He is the only One Who can satisfy and sustain us all through eternity!

Whom have I in heaven but You?

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

My flesh and my heart fail;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:25-26)

Asaph has been thinking about God's grace in holding his hand, and sustaining him through his "phase" of doubting God's fairness; now he moves from merely following God to also treasuring Him for Who He is.

You see, dear reader, we all must thank God for His blessings, but we should treasure God Himself as the CHIEF blessing. The biggest. The best. The most valuable blessing of all.

His blessings to us are innumerable and precious.

Oh, how great is Your goodness,

Which You have laid up for those who fear You,

Which You have prepared for those who trust in You

In the presence of the sons of men! (Psalm 31:19)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)

From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. (John 1:16)

We would be in error, Asaph says, if we treasured the blessings above God Himself.

But can we honestly say, "Besides You, I desire nothing on earth"? Wow, that's tough. That's pretty radical! Can we make sense of that? Shouldn't we desire our spouse? Shouldn't we desire to have a close relationship with our kids and our grandkids? 

It really IS a tough one to explain. Because the Bible does command us to love our families. We are given instructions on how to care for, guide, instruct, and love them. 

Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)

If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (I Timothy 5:8)

But as Jesus told His followers, we must love Him even more than our families. We must love Him more than our own lives.

Large crowds were now traveling with Jesus, and He turned and said to them, 26“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:25-26)

This verse often causes problems for believers, but Jesus' statement must be seen in relation to the whole of scripture. His point is not that we should be heartless toward our families, but that we should love Him more. He told a parable after that about counting the cost of being a disciple. Following Him requires commitment and faithfulness, and we must be willing to give up everything for the greatest treasure. Even if we are faced with painful choices of loyalty to family versus loyalty to Him, we must choose Jesus. What I believe Jesus meant is that we must prioritize our relationship with Him over our relationships with parents and other family members.

He even said that we must be able to surrender our own life - He wasn't teaching us to hate ourselves. That's not emotionally healthy. He was emphasizing the concept of showing our relationship with Him preference over all earthly ties - even to life itself. Many of us will never have to make the painful choice of turning our backs on family or on life. But around the world, there are believers who face shunning, disowning, physical torture, and death, in order to be true to Christ.

Paul teaches us the correct perspective:

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. (I Timothy 6:17-19)

We should always thank God for His blessings, but we should treasure God Himself as the greatest blessing.