12 Nov I Recognize You! (Learning to recognize people, places and points that are pivotal in your life): PART 5
Gideon was a coward hiding in a wine press. David was a teenage shepherd tending sheep in a field. Jesus was a babe in a manger. What do these three biblical heroes have in common? They all had hidden treasure that you could easily overlook. The Bible tells us, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hides, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field” (Matt. 13:44). One key principle that you can take away from this little but powerful parable is that: God frequently hides treasure in dirt.
Last month we talked about this at length. Let’s review…
“Three Realms of Recognition”:
- People (Matt. 13:44)
5 Points Pertaining to the Importance of People:
- Association gives you motivation for your destination.
- Right voices…right choices.
- Right connections…right directions.
- It’s impossible to live the right life when you have the wrong friends!
- If you want to make wiser decisions, associate with wiser people.
Then we gave you “11 Treasure Tips”:
- God frequently hides treasure behind dirt.
- God hides greatness in weakness.
- God hides great behind common.
- To access the treasure you must honor the dirt.
- God digs through the dirt to find the treasure. People dig through the treasure to find the dirt!
- To get what God intends you must receive who God sends.
- When you ask God for something…He will send it through somebody.
- If you reject the somebody, you won’t receive the something.
- Perception determines reception.
- How you perceive someone is how you’ll receive someone.
- Honor is the key to access.
This month let’s continue with Point #11: Honor is the key to access. The Bible tells us in Mark 6:1-6:
“And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue; and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.”
Notice in Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, He received no honor there. In Nazareth Jesus could not (not would not) do any “mighty works”. Why? In Jesus’ home town they did not receive Him as the Son of the living God but as the “carpenter’s son”. They could not recognize the “treasure” because of the “dirt”.
Remember this life point: Honor’s greatest enemy is familiarity!
Please allow me to describe familiarity via these “5 Familiarity Facets”:
- When His grace becomes common place.
One of the reasons I have been in ministry for 35 years now is because I treat ministry as an honor and a privilege. I am not a perfect pastor, but one thing that I am is a thankful pastor. I don’t focus on what I don’t have I am thankful for what I do have. I never want His grace to become common place!
2. With acclimation comes a lack of appreciation.
This principle goes hand in hand with number one. The Bible tells us, “To whom much is forgiven there is much love” (Luke 7:47). Remember this: Forget your sin but never forget you have been forgiven! When you remember the mercy of God and how much you have been forgiven from…you will always be grateful for the blood that Jesus shed for you!
Join us next week as we continue our series…