children of god

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

Treasures of God’s Heart
By Jill Becker

I know I’m Your child, Lord, but what does that mean?
What treasures await me that I have not seen?
Many You’ve shown me, so many I know,
Others I let slip from my thoughts long ago.
You tell me of great things that You want to do,
Yet at times I take paths that I’ve chosen, not You.

Lord, since I am but clay, and You’re the wise Potter,
How could it be that You made me Your daughter?
You could have formed me into what I deserve:
A warped and cracked pot not even worthy to serve.
But You set me before You, Your grace made me able,
To be part of Your family and feast at Your table.

You sent for me Jesus, my Savior and Brother,
Who demonstrated love for mankind like no other.
He gave us His life, all that was heavens to give,
Then He sent forth His Spirit, so within me He lives.
Great riches He left me, those fit for a Royal,
No longer a pauper left to struggle and toil.

Amazing to me is what You’ve given beyond measure,
And more awesome than all is that I bring You pleasure.
You tell me I’m precious, the love of Your life,
A jewel set in this dark world to sparkle with your Light.
Lord, I know all that’s needed is mine for the taking,
To care for this beloved child of your making.

So, I’ll open the treasure chest to see what’s inside,
It is filled with God’s Word so I’ll grow and abide.
There are gems of Your mercy, Your faithfulness and more,
My heart and my mind can’t contain what’s in store.
For when I asked what it means to be a Daughter of the King,
My Father answered in one word, “O child, EVERYTHING!”

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

My husband is a member of the nationally known, free fitness group called F3. Their name stands for Fellowship, Fitness and Faith. Local groups are led by volunteers at parks, recreation centers, beaches, etc. It’s like a “meet up” group for men of all ages who like to do terribly difficult exercises. At least that’s how I view their workouts! My husband’s group is an interesting mix of various international backgrounds and ethnicities who mostly now find themselves living in upscale beach areas in California.

As the “social chair” of the F3 Del Mar group my husband recently put together a Socks and Sacks charity event. With donations and volunteers from the group they gathered together yesterday and made 100 bean and cheese burritos for sack lunches for the homeless in our area. Many of the men brought their wives and kids to help with the endeavor. What I loved most, however, was helping the kids — aged about 4 to 17 — decorate all the paper bags we were to use. I encouraged them to write little notes on the bags and/or decorate them how they saw fit.

As I supervised them, it was so cool to see even the youngest understand the task at hand. Bags had beautiful rainbows, hearts, smiley faces, snowmen, Christmas trees, and some interesting abstract designs. The older boys wrote messages such as “stay strong,” “be safe,” “Merry Christmas,” and “Jesus loves you.” It was heartwarming to see these teenaged boys write such encouraging messages to people they had never met.

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18

These children weren’t worried about saying the right thing. They weren’t worried that their artwork wasn’t professional or perfect. They just knew there were people who needed to hear a small word from God. They were willing to be the light shining before others in His glorious name.

As the group of 20 prepared to head out and distribute the bags of food I said a blessing over them. First, I thanked God for this season of celebrating His Son who came to save us from our sins. Then I thanked God for the provisions that allowed us to buy and make the food. Lastly, I prayed in thankfulness that we had the opportunity to be that Light in His name.

Afterwards we all met up for some lunch. One of the mothers approached my husband and I and thanked us for having them participate. She said, “The kids loved it!” Imagine that. These children who come from well-off families in pristine neighbors were so happy to have walked through the muck and dirty streets to hand a bag of food or some new socks to poor strangers. No wonder Jesus held children in such high esteem. They love serving the Lord by serving others. Without fear, without trepidation.

My husband and his friend shared how one homeless man was given a bag. He held up the bag, which was decorated with beautiful little flowers. He shouted with glee that he received that beautiful, hand drawn artwork. He didn’t care what was in the bag. He cared that someone else cared. That, my friends, is letting the glory of the Lord shine through us.

This next week I want to challenge you to help someone every day, in the Lord’s name. It might be small, it might be large, whatever it is have it be something that you don’t see any benefit to you personally. What you will find, as I told the families before they headed out, is that you will be blessed. It’s a beautiful, glorious circle that God created. And He delights each time you complete that ring.

Give all glory to the God who loves the poor and the rich, the stranger and the friend, and especially the children. Amen

Tag: children of god

Treasures of God

Lights of the World