His Treasure
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 6:49AM Hi, I'm Jo Franz posting for Susie Larson (Susie Larson here...) Susie posts every Wednesday and her sole purpose is to nourish your soul.
If you take the time to post on her blog in February, you may win a $10.00 gift card to either Caribou or Target (your choice). So drop a note and say hi!
I'd like to share with you some thoughts from a talk I'll be giving next week at a conference... www.jofranz.com
How many of you feel like God's unique treasure? The media tell us via TV, movies, magazine or newspaper ads and articles, let alone the internet that we must look younger than we are, more beautiful, thinner than is good for us, talented, healthy, and rich to even be acceptable!
So many of us grew up feeling ugly and unloved for various reasons, then we're bombarded with these messages. Even if we were to succeed in every single area we would still have hearts that are empty and unfulfilled.
Gary Thomas writes in The Beautiful Fight, "Almost without question, the happiest, most joy-filled people I meet are those who believe they are exactly where God wants them to be."
I maintain the only way we're going to feel we're where God wants us to be is to first realize we are God's treasure.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:5-6, "God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
When we become Christians the light of the glory of God begins to shine through us by the power of the Spirit, for we "are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18)!
I think the reason we don't live as if we're full of the light of the glory of God is because we forget "we have this treasure in jars of clay" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Clay jars were used to hide treasure within because of their simplicity and lack of beauty, looking invaluable and unlikely to be stolen.
When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1978 I was blessed to already have a relationship with Jesus. I knew God loved me. But I cried out, "How do I bring you praise and glory in this?" Over the next few years of vulnerably coming to him in prayer with petitions for healing, then the ability to accept what he had allowed in my life--MS--I realized, not only was I a jar of clay, but it was so that the Spirit's light could shine through my weakness to show "this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). God wanted to get all the glory for how I lived with MS!
Then I met a famous theologian autographing his books. He asked if the wheelchair in which I sat was permanent. I explained it was for distances and I could walk with crutches, or balance off of furniture or walls at home. He replied with compassion, "Use it as your pulpit," and with tear-filled eyes I responded, "I do." I have continued to use it as a spring-board for conversations about my faith and as a basis from which to comfort others--and oh, the joy it has brought me!
While doing a radio interview on Monday listeners revealed they knew exactly how I felt--ugly, unwanted, and deserving of what happened to me--as I told of my first husband's betrayal through an affair and his subsequent divorcing me; and of the childhood memories that surfaced after I remarried.
But then I explained how I began reminding myself, as I dwelt on God's Word, that I was his treasure, his miracle of creation. He sent his only Son to die for me because he loved me. No matter what anyone else said to me or believed about me, I was of infinite value to God. His Spirit indwells me.
Is someone telling you you're not worth the effort? A friend? Your spouse? Your teenager through their rebellion?
Do you feel ugly and unwanted because they devalue you?
You are invaluable to God. You are his vessel--weakened on purpose--so that his light will shine through you for God's glory, not your own. God can use whatever you are going through as your pulpit to reach a dark world in need of the light of Christ (as Paul wrote the Philippians in chapter 2:15-16), but only if you remind yourself of biblical truth.
The enemy wants us to feel less-than others and hurt so we'll fall for all the false promises of the world. Instead, let's look at what is happening in our lives through God's big lens, as Gary Thomas puts it.
God has a plan for our lives and when we remember that, we remember we're valuable to him. We're his treasure! His light will shine through our weaknesses and bring a smile to God's face!
That's my daily prayer--for the Spirit to thine through me no matter what. How about you?
Thanks for the privilege of sharing some of what I'm going to teach next week with your readers, Susie! And thanks for reading, friends!
Have a blessed, light-filled day!
Jo www.jofranz.com 
Author of Soar Unafraid: Learning to Trust No Matter What
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