What
do we dig for?
What
do we use to dig?
Where
do you dig?
Why
do we dig?
What
would you do if you wanted to go deeper?
What
problems might you encounter?
Imagine
there is a 20-ton meteorite buried on a 300-foot deep ice shelf.
Imagine
that the core samples have produced fossils.
What
do you know about the characteristics of meteors?
Where
do they come from how do they get here?
What
would fossils inside a meteorite mean?
What
would the possible treasure be?
Would
it be worth extracting? Why?
Ice
shelves are over open water; they are fragile; you couldn’t use heavy
machinery.
Sometimes
we have to be creative and find new ways to dig or to dig deeper.
How
would you extract the meteorite?
Read
Psalm 51:10-12
Micah 6:8
Proverbs 2:4&5
Brother
Lawrence was a 17th century soldier turned monk whose lifelong
endeavor was to dwell completely in the presence of God. “He sought God in the simplicity and the
sincerity of his heart….[ He said] ‘…People seek for methods of learning to
love God. They hope to arrive at it by I
know not how many different practices; they take much trouble to remain in the
presence of God in a quantity of ways. Is
it not much shorter and more direct to do everything for the love of God, to
make use of all the labors of one’s state in life to show Him that love, and to
maintain His presence within us by this communion of our hearts with His? There is no finesse about it; one has only to
do it generously and simply…. During my work I would always continue to speak
to the Lord as though He were right there with me, offering Him my services and
thanking Him for His assistance.’…Brother Lawrence called the practice of the
presence of God the easiest and shortest way to attain Christian perfection and
to be protected from sin.”
From
the beginning of time, God has asked for our tithe, our first fruits, our first
born all to be set-aside for God. We have been given many gifts (Matt 25:14-15), God asks us to be good stewards of those
gifts (Luke 19:13, 1 Corinthians 4:12).
Accountability is connected to stewardship. (Luke 12:48) Remember that
we are God’s treasured possession if we obey Him fully and keep his covenants
(Ex 19:5).
Jaime
Rickert wrote a song.
Push
out into deeper water; Bigger fish are swimming there.
Forgive
again; forgive forever.
Blessings
are the pearls that only empty hands can hold.
I
encourage you to push out into deeper water.
Let go of those things that keep you from digging for the treasures that God has in
store for you. He has told you that you
are his treasure, he expects you to give, to forgive, and to be good stewards
of the gifts he has given you. And
remember that as you live in the presence of God you will continue empty your
hands, so that you can hold the Blessings He has for you.
