While watching Passion 2010 main session videos with my sister and Whitty last night several things jumped out at me but upon further reviewing it appears there is a common theme...
What do I see as precious? What do I treasure?
Precious = Highly esteemed (prized), greatly valued, beloved.
Treasured = To retain carefully.
"Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." -2 Peter 1:1-4
Do I treasure my faith, the Word (His promises), Jesus as precious?
Well, while that may be my intentions my life often shows that the execution of those intentions is sometimes flawed. Why? Because intentions without action is like a bar of soap with no water, it may look and smell pretty but without water it cannot fulfill it's purpose. Soap without water won't clean you up, it will just leave a gross residue on your skin. In the same way, good intentions will get you no where. Action must be taken before the intentions can come to pass. My friend Jesse told me Sunday that in order for God to speak through him, Jesse had to first open his mouth. Sometimes it takes a little initiative, and a lot of obedience, on our part.
Sometimes instead of realizing that God has made me (an over-competitive, over-complicator, over-analyzer of a person) a partaker of His divine nature, my heart struggles with discontentment which leads to a dulling of the sensitivity to the Spirit and that results in a hardening of the heart.
"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath." Romans 2:4-5
At Passion 2010 John Piper said, "Every time you sin you choose something else as more valuable than God."
Yikes.
After reading the verses in 2 Peter and trying to grasp the fact that God has given us EVERYTHING that pertains to life and godliness, I can't fathom why I ever struggle with discontentment- this says He's given us above and beyond what we need... yet I still sin, and by doing so I'm seeing something else as more valuable than the Creator of the Universe. Ridiculous!
Dear Lord,
Help me to truly treasure You and Your exceedingly great and precious promises as more valuable than anything or anyone else in my life. Thank You for Your unbelievably amazing love and mercy that has allowed me to become a partaker of the Divine... I certainly didn't earn that position. You are so worthy and while I'm completely worthless on my own, You see Jesus in me! Thank You for being my Father, my brother, and my King. You amaze me. Help me see You as supremely precious.
