Don't Settle or Give Up...Keep Seeking the True Treasure

Treasure Hunters
Relentlessly Seeking Signs of God's Grace


How's it going with counting your blessings?

Encouragement from Ann Voskamp in last week's video presentation was in two simple words:

SLOW DOWN

Sometimes we're moving too fast through life to notice the good gifts God has given us.  Eucharisteo (thanksgiving) invites us to slow down and appreciate each moment.

Consider God's word from Psalm 46:10-11 (NIV)
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Slowing down, we have the time to recognize that the gifts of God's grace are valuable treasure.  We need to be intentional in seeking out these treasures in the midst of our lives, because we're likely to overlook them for one reason or another.  Here's this week's "Lesson from Treasure Hunters" based on a treasure-hunting movie:

Lessons from Treasure Hunters
The Goonies (1985)

Give Up…or Keep Seeking?
How not to settle for less than the real thing

Lesson 1: Don't Give Up the Adventure...Keep On Seeking the Treasure
On their underground adventure beneath Astoria, Oregon, seeking the treasure of the famous pirate One-Eyed Willy, the band of kids known as the Goonies encounter what at first looks like the treasure they’ve been seeking. It turns out to be coins piled up at the bottom of a local wishing well.



When a few kids are tempted to give up on the adventure and be pulled up out of the well, Mikey gives an inspirational speech convincing them to continue the treasure-hunting adventure...which turns out to be a very rewarding decision.  Note: Mikey is played by a young Sean Astin, who has made a career of inspirational movie speeches in classics such as Rudy (title character) and Lord of the Rings (Sam).



Lesson 2: Don't Settle for Less Than the Real Treasure
At the bottom of the wishing well the Goonies find false treasure.  Okay, pennies, nickels, and dimes have value, but these coins are not the epic & abundant treasure they're looking for.  How often do we settle for the world's view of treasure that keeps us from seeking the higher treasure of God's gracious intent for our lives?  As you count God's blessings and pray prayers of thanksgiving from your gratitude journal, train your eyes to see new dimensions of treasure along the lines of the key words in Philippians 4:8 (NIV) ...

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."


Our Journey.................................................
During this season of Lent leading up to Easter, our congregation is engaging in a unique group learning experience.  We're soaking up the video teaching of Ann Voskamp, author of the book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are (Zondervan, 2010).

The adventure is to live the New Testament Greek word for "thanksgiving," EUCHARISTEO.  Within this word is the Greek word for "grace," CHARIS...which is related to another key biblical word CHARA, which means "joy."  The equation we're testing out is this: grace + thanksgiving = joy

The daily practice of maintaining a gratitude journal helps us to

1. Notice the gifts and signs of God's grace in our lives (God's blessings)
2. Be thankful for them, valuing them enough to record them and give thanks to God in prayer
3. Experience the joy that results from doing the first two steps