You Are My All in All

About a month ago, Erik and I took the kids on a treasure hunt. It's called "letterboxing" and clues can be found online to lead you to a hidden box containing a journal and a stamp. Those who are really into letterboxing carry their own journal and stamp so that they can stamp their journal with the hidden stamp and then stamp the hidden journal with their own stamp. But we were newbies, so we headed into Walnut Creek Park with only our clues. Our particular clues were actually scripture references. The first clue was from Luke 13:24.

Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. (We noticed that there was a narrow gate out of the parking lot leading to a footpath.)

Another clue later on in the hunt was from Psalm 62:3.

How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down - this leaning wall, this tottering fence? (Soon after reading this, we saw part of a fence that was falling down.)

In the end, we never found our treasure, but BOY did we work hard looking for it! We were focused and united in a common goal - finding the hidden box - and we left disappointed that we didn't find it. As soon as we got home, I emailed the person who had hidden the box and he kindly offered us one more clue. We are eager and excited to head out again SOON!

Our family treasure hunt came to my mind often as I thought about the words to our song this week.

You are my strength when I am weak,

You are the treasure that I seek.

You are my all in all.

Seeking you as a precious jewel,

Lord to give up I'd be a fool.

You are my all in all.

I had to ask myself, "Do I really seek the Lord with the same enthusiasm, focus, and dedication that I put into seeking out a box hidden in the woods?"

Proverbs 2:1-6

My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Donald Whitney, in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, wrote, "Just as we cannot believe and love Him of whom we have not heard, so we cannot grow in our faith and love of Him if we do not learn more about Him. We will not grow much in Godliness if we do not know much of what it means to be Godly. We will not become more like Christ if we don't know more of what Christ is like."

Like the clues that led us along Walnut Creek Park, the Word of God is truly our treasure map, and His precepts are precious jewels to be sought after and prized. Any day that we miss out on opening His Word to find these treasures should leave us empty and disappointed, and eager to come back into His presence.

Colossians 2:2-3

My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

As we prepare to share the words of this song, consider this quote by Charles Spurgeon: "Prayer and praise are the oars by which a man may row his boat into the deep waters of the knowledge of Christ."

Our prayer - "Jesus, Lamb of God..."

Our praise - "Worthy is Your Name."

"You are my All in All!"

Freedom Still Rings

Where were you the morning of September 11, 2001? My memories of that day are vivid. I woke up to talk radio that morning, and I heard the hosts talking about airplanes and buildings. At first I thought they were joking (although it seemed that their joking had “crossed a line.”) Once I realized the horror of what they were talking about, I ran into the other room and turned on the TV. I saw smoke pouring out the side of a building, then the collapse of one building, then another. The rest of the day was filled with shock and disbelief – TVs were kept on in the teacher’s lounge with that horrible footage looped over and over again. More details unfolded…the Pentagon…a field in Pennsylvania…and our nation began to grieve the loss of thousands who went to work that morning, who boarded a plane, who answered an emergency call for help, and never came home. We also grieved the loss of the feeling of security and safety within the borders of our own country.

The evil that we witnessed that day was born out of the sin in a man’s heart. And the shock and sadness that we felt that day should be magnified 1,000-fold when we consider the deadly impact that sin has daily on our world, in our lives, and in the lives of those around us. Sin – that ugly desire to rise above God’s plan for us – always ends in destruction and death.

In the days that followed 9/11, our country sought ways to reclaim the freedom that was threatened. Some fought, some prayed, some sought new ways to reach out to others, and together we worked to preserve the freedom upon which this country was built. So, the question is, are we fighting, praying, reaching out, and working together to preserve the true freedom that God calls us to as believers?

Psalm 119:45
I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

What a promise! Not only are we blessed to live a life of freedom in this great country, but we are also offered a much greater gift - freedom from sin, death, and ultimate destruction.

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

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.