Treasured Possession

"Out of all the peoples

on the face of the earth,

the LORD has chosen you

to be his treasured possession."

Deuteronomy 14:2

I slid the battered shoe box under my bed for safe-keeping.  Inside lay all my treasures: I small collection of pretty rocks, some interesting shells, a strand of string, and a ball of foil among other cherished items.  These may not seem like much, but to a 5-year-old girl, they were treasured possessions.

I may not seem like much, either.  My past, my failures, my insecurities may all cry out that I am worthless.  God, however, has called me as one of His own children through faith in Jesus Christ.  As a part of His family, as one of His chosen people, I am called to live as a treasured possession.  


It is easy for me to think my life is my own and the choices I make affect me and maybe a few people around me,  but what I do with my life is up to me.  It's my life and at the end of it I want to be able to say as Frank Sinatra sang, "I did it my way."  Or I may think that I'm not that important and therefore I am careless in the choices I make for my life.  If I'm not very valuable, why should I care where I go, what I do or with who I spend time?

As one who was bought at a price, my life is not my own.  As one chosen by God, I am created for good.  There are a few Old Testament men of God who really understood this concept and set good examples for me to follow in my quest to live as a treasured possession.

Purity

From the time Daniel was a young man he was different than those around him.  While other captives were attending the king of Babylon's special training sessions and eating the rich food, Daniel was staying true to God's ways and abstaining from the temptation to please his palate but offend His God.  His dedication to the LORD extended to every part of his life throughout all his years.  


When He became an older man, even those who were out to get him couldn't find any dirt on him.  They did some digging and assumed there would be some kind of cheating or bribery or even sloppiness in record-keeping in his past but, "they could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent."  (Daniel 6:4)  They gave up their search and decided the only way to entrap him was in his dedication to God.  In that, they knew,  he would not waver.


This is my desire; that I would live my life from this point on in such a way that no one could find fault and that my dedication to God is such that people would know I would never waver from that commitment.  This means when I complete my tax returns or financial aid forms I am completely honest in reporting income, not fudging the numbers even the tiniest bit for my own benefit.  Living a life of uprightness means when the cashier gives me too much change, I return it immediately.  Conducting my affairs in a righteous way means I pay strict attention to the laws of the land.  Living my life in the way that Daniel did is not easy; but it is not impossible.


It would be very easy for me to make purity my god, becoming so intent on living cleanly that I begin to forsake my relationship with God.  Living in a holy manner is not for holiness' sake.  It is not so I will look good.  Living a life of purity is my goal because in the end, it will honor and glorify God in ways I never imagined.


Nearly 60 years after Daniel had been led captive to Babylon as a young man, he was thrown into a lion's den under the reign of Darius.  His crime?  Defying the decree to only pray to Darius for a period of a month.  This edict was issued by the king at the suggestion of Daniel's enemies and did nothing to alter his regular routine of praying to God.  


Things did not bode well for Daniel.  The punishment for breaking this newly penned law was death in the lion's den where no one had ever survived.  His situation seemed hopeless.  But God is a God of the impossible.  He closed the mouths of the lions, keeping Daniel safe throughout the night.  When morning came, the vicarious faith of King Darius became personal as he declared God the living God who endures forever.  


Daniel inspires me to live a life of purity in order to lead others to acknowledge the glory of God.

Legacy

Tom Sawyer was a mischievous, rambunctious boy who often found himself in trouble.  When he ran away from home, going on a pirate adventure with his friends Joe and Huck, the entire town assumed they drowned in the river where they found their abandoned raft and began mourning the boys.  At this point, Tom snuck home, attending his own funeral and hearing all the people expressing their love for him and regret for not treating him better.  Even though Tom thought of himself as a troublemaker, those around him held a different opinion. 

I have often wondered what it would be like to attend my own funeral.  What would people say about me?  What kind of impression did I make on others?  What legacy will I leave behind?

Mordecai was a Jewish man living in a foreign land.  He was surrounded by people who worshiped other gods, and lived in close proximity to a king who couldn't care less about his faith.  But to Mordecai, his dedication to God was followed closely in importance to his commitment to raising his young orphan cousin up in the ways of the Lord.  When it came time for Esther to enter the palace along with all the other young virgins for consideration as replacement for the queen, he instructed her to hide her Jewish roots.  

Not one to shirk his duty as her protector and father-figure, Mordecai stationed himself at the king's gate.  While there, he heard a plot being hatched by the guards to kill the king and immediately alerted the now Queen Esther who then told her husband.  Later, when it became known that an edict had been issued for all the Jews to be killed, Mordecai famously delivered an impassioned plea to the Queen, his beloved Esther. "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"  (Esther 4:14)

After the tables had been turned and the victims became victors, the people of God were saved.  All those in positions of power rushed to help the Jews because, "fear of Mordecai had seized them. . . his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful."  (Esther 9:3-4)

Mordecai had built a reputation as a God-fearing man.  He did what was right and stood up for his people in a time when doing so could have cost him his life and the life of his adopted daughter.  His courage gained him the favor of God, instilling the fear of a powerful and living God in the hearts of the foreigners who knew Mordecai.  He had built a legacy that exalted God.

As I study the life of Mordecai, I must ask myself why God saved me and placed me in my present position.  As Oswald Chambers said, "It is not a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved in order to manifest the life of the Son of God in our mortal flesh, and it is the disagreeable things which make us exhibit whether or not we are manifesting His life.  Do I manifest the essential sweetness of the Son of God, or the essential irritation of 'myself' apart from Him?"   If I am here for God's purposes, then I must be all about His purposes in the way I choose to spend my time, in deciding my priorities and in the way I respond to others. 

If I am here to glorify God, people should look at me and think of God.  My life should inspire others to draw closer to Him.  One look at me should give people a dose of respect for the One who created them.   

Mordecai inspires me to live a life that leaves a legacy that points to God.

Wisdom and Faith

A young, spoiled boy suddenly found himself serving as a slave to an important Egyptian official.  As the years went by, he spent time in prison for a crime he did not commit.  Then, at the age of thirty, he was summoned before the great Pharaoh to interpret a frightening dream.  Why would one of the most powerful leaders on earth call upon such a man?

Joseph had gained the reputation of being a wise and responsible young man, even in prison.  So when the cupbearer to the king remembered his stint in prison and how Joseph had accurately interpreted his dream, he made a suggestion to the Pharaoh to call on Joseph.  In this way, the once-slave became the second in command of Egypt.

I am not so different from Joseph.  I am living in a land that is not my own, many times treated in ways that I do not deserve.  Just as Joseph's difficult life served to fulfill God's plan of placing His people in the land of Egypt, setting up the need for deliverance some years later, my present struggles are serving to fulfill a plan.  Nothing happens outside of His will.  

When I find myself in a time of suffering, I can be sure that God is using it to build perseverance, character and hope.  When my faith is weak and I question God's sovereignty so severely that I can't even pray,  His Spirit steps in and bolsters my faith, praying on my behalf.  When everything seems to be going wrong and I just can't catch a break,  God is refining me like silver.  Nothing is wasted, everything is used to bring glory to God. 

When the going gets tough, I can follow the lead of Joseph and keep focused on God, living my life the way He would have me live.   God has a master plan that I cannot see but it will turn out to be a beautiful story in the end.

Joseph inspires me to live my life to the glory of God, trusting that God has a plan in the midst of the mess.

I may not see myself as a treasured possession, but God does.  I have before me the example of many people whose lives were lived as one set apart for God.  When I probe, I see that Daniel's life of purity caused a pagan king to give glory to God, Mordecai's legacy struck the fear of God in the hearts of men, and Joseph's wisdom and faith was used to bring about God's mighty plan.  I am not left without hope.  Instead, I have many lives to encourage me in my walk with Jesus.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will put all my attention toward living for God.

How do I get distracted and strive to live for myself?

When am I afraid to take a stand for God's ways when surrounded by those who neither acknowledge or honor God?