God's Treasure Hunt

 King Saul of Israel had failed miserably. God commissioned Samuel, the prophet and high priest, to find a new king. God sent Samuel on a treasure hunt. He was to find the young man chosen by God and anoint him as the next king.

Where was Samuel sent? Not to Jerusalem and not to a noble family. God sent Samuel to a farm. The farmer had strong and handsome sons.

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 1 Samuel 16:10 NIV84

The farmer had another son, but he was only a boy.

Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” 

“Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the LORD said, “This is the one; anoint him.” 1 Samuel 16:11–12 NLT

Samuel was directly led by the Holy Spirit.

Today many of us are so wise in our own eyes. We are taught that we have the whole Bible and theological training. We think we no longer need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Or else we do what we think is right and assume we are led by the Spirit.

Some Christians are too easily led by emotional impressions, but it is dangerous to rely on our own human understanding of the Bible without the help of the One who inspired it.

And what are the results of this educated Christianity? In many formerly Christian countries, Christians are merely tolerated. The power and glory of God are not found in most churches.

Many churches have excluded the Holy Spirit, just like King Saul, but God is looking for outsiders and children like David who will continue His work with the love and power of the Holy Spirit.

 Agostino d' Antonio, a sculptor of Florence, Italy, wrought diligently but unsuccessfully on a large piece of marble. "I can do nothing with it," he finally said. Other sculptors, too, worked with the piece of marble, but they, too, gave up the task. The stone was discarded. It lay on a rubbish heap for forty years.

Out strolling one day, Michelangelo saw the stone and the latent possibilities in it. It was brought to his studio. He began to work on it. Ultimately, his vision and work were crowned with success. From that seemingly worthless stone was carved one of the world's masterpieces of sculpture—"David!" (cf: 1 Samuel 16:13)

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF 15,000 ILLUSTRATIONS SIGNS OF THE TIMES By Dr. Paul Lee Tan  

 You may be rejected by the world and even other Christians as a worthless stone. God still has good plans for your life.

Who is the Lord of your Life?

 Who is at the helm of your life. As Christians, we must hand over the leadership of our lives to Jesus. Jesus died to save us from our self-centredness.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Mt 7:21 NIV

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” Jn 14:21 NIV

If you love Jesus with all your heart, you will hand over the leadership of your life to Him.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20 NIV

Imagine your life is a car. Who should be at the wheel, you or Jesus? Jesus, of course. But really?

Imagine Jesus is at the wheel and you are just a passenger. Is that true?

God doesn't want passengers, or puppets or robots, but disciples.

If God controls and accomplishes everything, we don't need wisdom. A passenger doesn't need wisdom and neither does a puppet.

Who is a disciple? Someone who is always learning something new throughout their life. Jesus is our teacher who always wants to teach us. As our Creator, He has given abilities, and He gives us the freedom to exercise our abilities creatively.

Where do we find this truth in the Bible?

Before the Fall, we see God's purpose for us.

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. Gen 2:19 NIV

Wow! That is radical. Not God, but man gave the animals their names. Adam was not a robot, but a person, the image of God. God makes free creative decisions and man also makes free creative decisions!

We do not see a spiritual robot, but someone who makes important decisions with God's guidance. God wants to have sons and daughters who learn to make good decisions with wisdom from God and also to learn from their mistakes.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. Jas 1:5 NIV

We see the same teaching in the parable of the talents.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man travelling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. Mt 25:14–17 NKJV

God wants us to hand over the leadership of our lives to Him, but this new life requires initiative and creativity, active partnership with the Holy Spirit.

Finding Your Direction with God

What is your goal in life?
Do you have long-term goals, or a calling that is clear and distinct in your mind?

Or is your daily life dominated by duties often imposed on you by others? Without God's wisdom, you will not get far.

Are you at the helm of your life, or is it more like someone who is struggling to row your boat?

But some devout Christians might object that you should never be the helmsman. Jesus is your captain, and you just have to row obediently.

But we are not called to submit like robots or driven slaves.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 NIV84

But this freedom does not mean that you should be self-centred. Such a life is meaningless. You have a high calling to take part in God's wonderful plan.

But how can you know God's plan and God's guidance for your life? We all have the same Bible. It is God's instruction manual.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 NIV84

But what is my part to play in this mission? What is your role in God's plan?

I was a language teacher and am now retired, but I am still active in God's mission. I read, study, pray and write blogs.

John Wesley and Charles Spurgeon were wonderful preachers. They had the same Bible, but they did mission very differently. John Wesley was an itinerant preacher and Charles Spurgeon was the pastor of a large Baptist church in London.

In a football team, not all are goalkeepers and not all are strikers. Some are also physiotherapists, coaches, bus drivers or managers. A sports club also needs accountants, groundsmen and security staff.

As Christians, we are on God's team. Your coach is not first and foremost your pastor, but Jesus Himself.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:10–11 NIV84

To follow Jesus, we need wisdom from God himself, hour by hour.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 NIV84

We all have questions that we can only answer with God's wisdom. These questions are often vital.

• "How do I see my situation now? Dear God. How do you see my situation now?"

• "I see on the screen of my mind a scene from my past, a rather clear memory. It suddenly comes to mind, unrelated to my present situation. What does it mean? Do I see a person? How should I pray for that person?"

• "My brother has been mentally ill for years. How should I pray for him?"

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26 NIV84

God has given us his Holy Spirit to help us as a comforter and guide. If we do not have this help, the Bible is only a dry religious textbook for us.

Wisdom from God

 Solomon was young and inexperienced. He was sincere and loved God. He was very intelligent, yet humble.

There are many people who inherit wealth and power, who are proud, and do not want to accept instructions from God or men.

But Solomon was not like that. As a young and inexperienced king, he was aware of his responsibility and his own inadequacy.

He wanted to be a good and righteous king for his people.  

God saw his heart and He visited him in a dream.

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask. What should I give you?” 1 Kings 3:5 CSB

If you are like Solomon, if you want to live faithfully and responsibly, you must be aware of your inadequacy.

Solomon had a task from God. So do you and so do I.

If you think your knowledge, competence and intelligence are enough to fulfil your calling from God, then you have no idea. You need to recognise your inadequacy.

God saw Solomon’s heart, and He sees your heart. He wants to speak to you and help you.

How did Solomon answer?

Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 1 Kings 3:7 NKJV

He realised that his experience and competence were so limited that he did not even understand how to begin.

Many people try to get ahead with their own talents and only ask for God's help when they go horribly wrong, but Solomon understood better.

If you want to live a blessed and fulfilled life, you must involve God as your companion and guide at the very beginning of everything you do.

God wants to help you with your whole life, not just rescue you when you fall over.

Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. 

Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Proverbs 3:5–6 The Message