What Does God Treasure?

It's funny the different ways people will sometimes stumble onto this blog. Many times it's by Google searches looking for "God" or "treasure" or some combination of both. The other day someone did a Google search on "what does God treasure?" Now that was an interesting question.

What does God treasure? God owns everything. He owns the heavens, the stars, the planets, He owns it all as far as the eye can see and further. But God tells us what He treasures:

"Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.." (Exodus 19:5)

The Lord commanded Moses to speak these words to the Israelites but I believe that this is still what God treasures today: someone who has a heart that is completely, wholeheartedly devoted to Him. Why? Because He loves us! In the same way that it brings a parent great joy when his child loves him enough to do what he asks, it also brings the Lord great joy when His children love Him enough to listen to Him and do His will.

And, by the way, the word "peculiar" used in this verse doesn't mean weird or strange the way we have come to think of it. It means uncommon, distinctive from others, belonging exclusively to some person. God wants each of us who receive Him to be set apart from the world, that is, that we would love the Lord over the temporary things of the world, and belong exclusively to Him.

God gave this promise to the Israelites first, and then with the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, believers in Him became grafted into that family of those who would be set apart for God and treasured by Him.

That is what, or should I say who, He treasures: a devoted child whose heart is on fire for Him. It is, after all, a living, breathing relationship that we were called to the day we gave ourselves to Him. What good is a marriage when there is no relationship? What good is there in a parent/child relationship when there is no love? And what good does it do to receive Christ by faith but never listen to His voice, never go to Him and ask what His good and perfect will is and for the strength to carry it out?

But those who cherish their Lord enough to continue daily in honoring Him to the best of their ability with their thoughts, actions and words, they are God's treasure. They are a special people unto Him that He can use to bring His love into this world by being His feet and His mouth and His hands.

The one who would wholeheartedly follow the Lord is the one whom God treasures because He loves us and desires more than anything for us to love Him, too.