Hidden Treasure

Have you ever noticed that following God is not at all what it first appears to be? Walking with God is not the kind of thing a sprinter would find appealing, although at first it seems like a sprint is all that is required to keep up with God.

Walking with God is more like training for a triathlon. (It should be called training with God)

It is an undertaking that few would ever enter into if they knew beforehand all that would be required of them in order to reach the finish line.

Training for a triathlon is grueling and you never really feel like you're ready. If you do feel like you are ready then for sure you are not! Running, Swimming and Biking at this level of intensity is something that could consume every moment of your life. Pushing your body to the point of exhaustion, not to mention the time away from your family.

Walking with God is much the same. You can never find enough time to pray, fasting is no fun and there is always something else you could be doing. Our focus MUST be on the prize at all times. If we doubt the success of our race we will fail!

During a triathlon, water stations are set up along the race route, and along our walk with God there are strategically positioned treasures. The difference here is these treasures are hidden from us, they're for us to discover as we travel with God.

Our relationship with God and our current posture towards Him at certain times in our life will cause us to Dig for these treasures. It is most likely that you will find the greatest treasures in places you thought you had looked before, and usually in places you would rather not be digging, Today, this time, you are looking for a different reason.

In most cases, it is a trial that gets us to dig deeper and with a greater passion. We arrive at a point where we no longer care about what others think; we don’t care how we look digging up our front yard. Our focus is completely on finding what God has prepared for us to discover.

Stress, Pain, Anguish and complete loss of self, are all positions that few people ever want to experience and yet, they are the very places where ordinary men and women of God grow into extraordinary, powerful, faith filled disciples of God.
A place where our understanding of who God is grows to a new level.
Who we are in God becomes clearer.
The plans of God are revealed,
Revelation is birthed.
Most importantly it is where we discover how awesome Our God truly is!

It is in our darkest days that Gods light shines its brightest, we just have to have our eyes open to see Him.

Matthew 13:43-45 (NIV)
43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

Pace yourself for the long race and finish strong with your eyes fixed on the Prize.