Reveal the Treasure

For the first three weeks we were here, I thought we had floral curtains in our bedroom. But then we bought a lamp last week. The first time we turned on the lamp, it highlighted the presence of many beautiful white embossed butterflies fluttering among the flowers all over the fabric. It’s surprising in retrospect that we didn’t see them before, but they weren’t very noticeable until there was strong lighting in close proximity.

As carriers of Christ’s presence, we are treasure hunters, treasure seekers. Graham Cooke, a well-known author and speaker, has a wonderful teaching on this. God wants us to shine brightly, in close proximity, the light of Christ on people’s lives, to reveal the treasure He has placed within them. God made each person in His image – a good thing to ponder regularly. Unfortunately, sin horribly mars the image, but God’s heart is that each person would become fully all that He intended them to be. That’s why Jesus came – to find and restore the lost (Luke 19:10, The Message). As followers of Christ, God sends us with His eyes, to see people the way He sees them. Whenever God brings someone into our lives, we can ask Him, “How do you see this person?” Usually the first thing we see is the obvious stuff, their problems, their shortcomings. We need to look beyond that and see what God wants to bring forth in their lives. We can shine the light of Christ on them – He will reveal the treasures we didn’t notice at first. By ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can release people into healing and freedom and fullness. What an amazing privilege! Every interaction we have with someone is an opportunity to reveal the treasure.

I love going into our bedroom each evening and turning on that lamp. It’s a fresh daily reminder to look beyond the obvious and see what treasures God wants to reveal.